Time Space Crisis
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to Wizard City. One month after the spectacular finale to the Wizard City Tournament, Phantom Black and his accomplice raze WAXA: when Rock Man and Harp Note intend to stop them, someone takes Harp Note away through a tunnel: Rock Man chases both villians and the offender through it but he can't imagine that this is the start of a new crisis overcoming Time and Space...
1. Chapter 1: Unsealing

**Time – Space Crisis**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Chapter 1: Unsealing**

10:11 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 1st, 2206…

"… I'm gonna say it again! That tournament was UNFAIR!"

"Why didn't I think of joining it? I lost my once-in-a-lifetime chance!"

"Buro~! If ya two keep at it then ya know what happens."

"Come on…"

"Ahem, ahem! Fatman! Kizamaro!"

"YIKES!"

"Come on… Ignore them already, Luna – chan…"

"That won't do, Mode! I must prove that I am a competent leader capable of handling the WILL – BE 2 – A Class!"

"Not that speech again… Look: we're still far from the start of the new course so why don't you try to relax in the pool and…"

"That won't do! That interloper will come into the scene and meddle around if I lower my guard!"

Ushijima Gonta and Saishouin Kizamaro (both aged 14) had been protesting aloud in the middle of the Kodama Town Plaza: their Wizards, Ox and Pedia, looked tired of the same thing over and over again: Shirogane Luna then stepped into the picture with an annoyed look to her face along with Mode: both gulped.

"FATMAN! SUMMER VAVACTION HOMEWORK! HOW IS IT?"

"D-done, _iinchou_…"

"DONE? THEN TRANSMIT IT TO ME RIGHT HERE AND NOW! BECAUSE YOU REEK OF VILE MEATS!" She yelled.

"Vile meats… Come on…" Mode seemed to find it silly.

"Y-yes, ma'am…"

"Kizamaro! Did Fatman even TRY to ask for help?"

"No, _iinchou_. Not once."

"Hah! I knew it! STICK OUT YOUR NECK, FATMAN! I KNOW YOU'RE LOOPHOLING THE VEGETARIAN DIET YOUR PARENTS IMPOSED INTO YOU~!" She yelled at him.

Gonta gulped and interacted with a "Real Wave" screen to display some data and then apparently transmit it: Luna quickly began to read it while looking both suspicious and annoyed.

"I KNEW IT! FATMA~N!"

"Oh crap. Got found out…!"

"Buro~! Obviously!" Ox fumed.

"Given how he didn't even try to come up with a decent strategy in the Wizard City Tournament…" Pedia muttered.

"YOU COPIED THE ANSWERS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE~! YOUR _KANJI_ LOOK HALF-IMPROVISED BECAUSE YA DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO READ THEM OR THEIR MEANING! THAT - WON'T DO! I'M - GOING TO SEE TO IT! GOTCHA, FATMAN?" She exploded.

"R-roger, ma'am…"

"Now vanish, foul accumulation of fats and calories! I have to get ready to halt the interloper from doing the vilest of acts!"

"Not that again… Why is _iinchou_ so persistent on speaking of Misora – chan like she was the enemy…?" Kizamaro sighed.

"Show your hide, interloper! I'll show it to you! I won't lose to a fair fight: just that ya know!" She threatened.

"… It's already official: we're in trouble, Pedia. We need to find a solution or else…"

10:22 AM (Japan Time)…

"… A billion blue blistering barnacles! The bloody old man either has accomplices or someone here is trying to use "divide and conquer" to gain a vile goal! ALL STAFF! URGENT MEETING AT THE OUTER YARD!"

"Good idea, Urakata – san! We can keep the staff busy out there and then check the security footage!"

"Pororon! Good idea. Let's catch this newest saboteur. What did they do this time around?"

"A venomous spider! They stuffed it inside of one of the studio lamps! It almost bit me!"

"Then we should call the police, sir! That can't be treated just like that: someone could've died, even!"

"You're right, Suzuka. I'll handle the troops. You go for the footage. Ice, give us a hand."

"Roger, sir."

"I'm off!"

Urakata Mamorou had yelled once he'd found out about a new sabotage act while having a plan on mind so Hibiki Misora, Harp, Suzuka and Ice rushed to the room where all CCTV cameras' feed was recorded at to try to single out the culprit.

"… Look. 10 minutes ago this guy entered the room and fumbled with the studio light… The yellow shirt plus red mark means that… He's a newbie technician somewhere. Veterans have blue marks. And anyone would immediately suspect him if he didn't dress as a novice so… Let's dig out the names of the novices!" Misora signaled.

"Good! Leave it to me… Novices… Aha-hah! Found ya. Intarou Kakurou, 28, joined 2 weeks ago! Previous work: none! Suspicious, I say! My word! I'd stake anything that this guy is the saboteur."

"Perfect! We got the guy and evidence." Ice smiled.

"Urakata – san, sir? The newbie named Intarou."

"Good! Intarou~! YOU~! CONFESS!" Urakata replied through a radio link before yelling at the guy.

"C-confess what?"

"No playing innocent! The spider was brought in by you!"

"Spider?"

"We've got footage!"

"But I made sure there was no camera…! Yikes!" He began to grumble before gasping and realizing he'd been speaking aloud.

"That's a - CONFESSION! SECURITY~! SEIZE THIS SABOTEUR AND CONTACT THE POLICE~!"

"Catch me firstly, old man! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"Wants to run? Won't let the guy. Locking all doors!" Misora grinned as she inputted some commands.

CRASH! THUD!

"Lovely melody, truly." Harp giggled.

"Hah! Hmpf! The guy crashed against the locked front door. Deserved it! Now… Let's ring the police!" Ice grinned.

"They might get desperate but once they do then they're predictable: it's a matter of being two steps ahead of them."

"There! That's what happens to saboteurs like you! You'll have time to consider the extent of your evil-doing in the brig!"

"Besides! This guy didn't join our "Team" so he was suspicious already: we'd found him out but he ended up giving himself away which saved us some trouble." One of the staff commented.

"Operation: Root Out Saboteurs… Success!"

"HORRAY~!"

10:28 AM (Japan Time)…

"… So this place is the Satella Police HQ… I hadn't come over yet. But this building sure is imposing! They share it with the Japan WAXA Branch and Subaru – kun's father works here…"

"Yeah. I believe Subaru – kun is in a meeting with Akatsuki – san so let's just go speak with Utagai – san. There he is. Good morning!"

"Good morning!"

"Oh… You two… Eh… Careful, careful…"

"Huh? What's wrong, Utagai – san?"

"W-well… No big deal, really, Tsukasa – kun, but…"

"Another omen…?"

"T-true, Gino – kun! Another omen is headed for me~! SOMEONE SAVE OUR HIDE~! WE'RE DOOMED!"

"Not again…"

Futaba Tsukasa (having grown up ever since the Meteor G Crisis yet his hairstyle or clothes hadn't changed) had come to the Satella Police HQ with someone else when they met Utagai Shinsuke near the drink vending machine.

"What do we do, Kiboyama – kun?"

"Guess we gotta go find Amachi – san, his superior…"

Kiboyama Gino, Tsukasa's partner, was a guy about his age who had bluish eyes and brownish hair.

He sported a blackish sleeveless t-shirt, jeans, a black leather belt and white sneakers:

"I'd rather say we storm the guy."

"That won't do!"

"Storm… Don't say silly stuff like War Rock does." Tsukasa sighed.

Storm turned out to be a new-gen Wizard who looked reminiscent of Gemini, the FM who'd picked him as a host over two years ago.

His main body was shaped like a spheroid and colored in a patch of green identical to Tsukasa's hair.

His head was round and perfectly shaped: a white-like helmet protected it and included a pair of purple-colored thick shades: his skin was normal-colored and his face looked young.

Two sharp needle-like tools emerged from his armored and purple-colored forearms and replaced his normal hands.

The rest of the arms were painted with the black and yellow striping to signal "danger" as if hinting at the usage of the appendixes.

Like most modern Wizards, he had a hover device built into the inferior part of his body instead of legs which had been colored in the same black and yellow stripes combination.

"I was kidding, ya know…" He muttered.

"Jeez. Stop that foolish behavior."

"Oh yeah? Who is the one trying to ram through all enemy lines with just the sword and shield, Miles, in all VR training programs?"

"That's unrelated."

Miles was another new-gen Wizard: his main body was more "humanoid" in shape and colored in a brownish color similar to sand: some patterns had been drawn over the body to form plates of armor.

His helmet had been painted sea blue and black shades hid his eyes yet it looked strong and resistant.

His arms were colored in a reddish color with white color stripes running up and down their length: the forearms had extra armor on them and his hands' "skin" was black.

He carried a round golden shield with a silver edge and center on his left hand which was large enough to protect half of his body.

Like a Roman Legionary, he wielded a large lance with a brown body and silver spear set atop it: the weapon looked easy to maneuver and powerful at the same time.

Like Storm, he also had a hover engine built onto the lower part of his body which allowed him to remain air-bone.

"Utagai… Let us stop this already." Cygnus sighed.

"Yo~! What's up, people~!"

"Hello! Utagai – san & company!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah. Rip Them All Man came~!"

"Oh! Akatsuki – san!"

"War Rock. That title is pointless."

"Oh yeah, Claw Man?"

"For the last time. I am not Claw Man."

"Nope! Acid Disaster!"

"That is pointless as well."

"Says the lawyer apprentice~! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

Akatsuki Shidou and Hoshikawa Subaru, followed by their respective Wizards, War Rock and Acid, walked over to the group.

"A-Akatsuki – kun! T-there's an omen! There!"

"Omen…? What omen do you mean, Utagai – san?"

"Me, perhaps?"

"Oh crap."

"As usual your useless mouth can only utter barbarisms."

"Says the devil's advocate!"

"Ah. So I now am the devil's advocate."

"Neechan… Why don't you halt this cold war with Akatsuki already? Not like he's to blame for anything…"

"Jack. I have told you. This is a matter of adults. Children should remain silent and not intervene."

"Oi! I'm almost 14 by now! I'm no gnat anymore!"

Queen Tia showed up to Shidou's exasperation and Jack tried to convince her to stop bothering Shidou yet she merely directed a dull and bored glare at him: Jack fumed and stuffed both hands inside of his pockets while looking rather annoyed.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah. And the devil burnt up all that weird stuff ya were hiding in the air ducts!" War Rock laughed.

"I know you mean this useless man over there."

"Useless man… Come on! Discuss that with Dr. Yoiri and the Chief if ya have the… eh… courage! Queen Tia!"

"Hmpf. Whatever."

"Whatever the ever, ya mean to say~! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"Shut up already, Rock. You're being noisy, you know."

"I'm Know Them All Man!" War Rock proclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. Now go tuna in Norway and leave us in peace."

"Go tuna, eh? Why not go cod instead?" He suggested.

"Do as you like but don't sink any ships." Subaru sighed and stuffed both hands on his pockets.

"Take your hands off me, you grunts! I'm gonna blow each and everyone one of you grunts sky-high."

"Move it!"

"Hiya~!"

"You came."

"Yikes!"

"Misora – chan? Isn't that an Okudama Studios employee?"

Misora had come in after the arrested saboteur who was shouting at the two officers carrying him and Queen Tia lifted an eyebrow upon seeing her: Misora stopped dead on her tracks and hid behind Shidou all of a sudden.

"Come on! You scare her and that won't do."

"It will do."

"It won't. And 99% of the staff will agree with me. Oi, Jack! Do you find this reasonable?" Shidou asked him.

"Nope. At all. Neechan… Give it up already! You can't do those things here, in Japan! We're living here, not in our nation!"

"I told you: Jack. Children…"

"Hibiki is 'round my age: does that make her a "child" too?"

"… Hmpf. You caught me. For once." She admitted.

"For once? Jeez. You need to melt that ice, you really do!" Jack grumbled and sounded exasperated.

"By the way… What was the meeting about, if we can know?" Tsukasa asked Subaru.

"No big deal… We were going over how back in July the 8th, exactly one week after the end of the Wizard City Tournament, Hyde and his punk assaulted Blood Shadow and robbed his Hunter – VG's whole data: they'll surely try to imitate his Folder under the belief they will be able to overcome me in battle yet we're decided to place some security around our friends just in case." Subaru explained.

"That Hyde… He never gives up, does he? He staged the whole tournament but that's the biggest thing he's done alone. What else could he come up with? He must be running out of bright ideas by now: anyone would." Gino muttered.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah! In that you are mistaken, foolish plebeian audience! My word!" A familiar voice rang out.

"No way…" Subaru groaned.

"Back here? After two years? Is he trying to repeat the same story all over again or what?" Shidou groaned next.

"Repeat? No! Today I shall change it! Come after me! I am in the Main Computer already with my faithful disciple Assassin Shinobi! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

"As my Lord announced, this time we're going to win! With the data on the "Copy Canceller"… We will make a lot of business once we tweak it a bit to delete ALL Wizards on its range! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!" A manly voice rang out.

"By all the… We gotta stop them, sir!"

"The three of us will suffice! Let's go! To the 57th floor!"

"Denpa – Henkan! On Air!"

Subaru, Misora and Shidou became Rock Man, Harp Note and Acid Ace respectively and stepped into the elevator to climb upwards: the elevator pinged once it reached the destination and they stepped down to find the whole Control Room to be filled with a high dose of pinkish smoke and everyone collapsed.

"Che! They put everyone to sleep with sleeping gas… We'll tend to them later: we MUSTN'T let them get away with the schematics! Get ready! Cyber – In!"

"Cyber – In!"

The three of them entered the "Cybernetics" of the Main Computer and rushed on forward while busting Viruses.

"These Viruses sure aren't rubbish. Hyde and the punk brought them along! Bothersome meddling jerks!"

"Che! Outta the way!"

The three of them managed to reach the backbone: Phantom Black was giving them the back and meddling with a "Real Wave" screen while chuckling in a low tone of voice.

"Oho. Not so fast. You gotta step over me firstly!"

"Che. Assassin Shinobi, the Alphabet Murderer, Hyde's punk…!" Harp Note grumbled.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! I beat ya to a pulp in the Wizard City Tournament, didn't I, woman?"

"Shaddup."

"Calm down, Harp Note. This is an order." Acid Ace commanded.

"Roger, sir."

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Alright, then! Come!"

Assassin Shinobi appealed as being over a meter and sixty tall and wore a pitch-black bodysuit reminiscent of _ninja_ clothing including a purplish cape hanging from behind his shoulders, two metallic _shuriken_ on his shoulders and knees plus a utility belt.

His face was largely hidden by a balaclava while his brownish teal hair came out from an opening behind it in a totally spiky and wild manner: his eyes' irises' were blood red in color.

A small green _shuriken_ glowed on his forehead, too.

He also carried a _katana_ sheath attached to his back using a leather band which circled his body from the left shoulder until close to the right hip: it was painted purple and black while being decorated with four black dots around it.

Overall he looked like a _ninja_ armed to the teeth yet he didn't strike out as being much older than Rock Man.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Forbidden Power!"

"What's that?"

"The high-level Viruses were not meant to stall for time… They're part of my new technique! Hra~h!"

"No way! Self-inflicted damage for a Muramasa Blade…!" Acid Ace quickly caught up.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Catching up? Eat this!"

"Hruah! Che! But! My max HP is 2000. Losing a fourth is no big deal! And you can't hope to stop the three of us alone!" Acid Ace hissed.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Alone? I brought backup. Shadow Clone!"

"Crap."

Assassin Shinobi created two "clones" and they all attacked Acid Ace at the same time with the _katana_, glowing with purple light: Acid Ace collapsed and both gasped.

"They combined their power to sum up 1500 HP of damage! He's improved ever since last month!" Rock Man gasped.

"Mwah, hah, hah. You're next, woman. Rock Man is my Lord's prey, so I can't beat 'im to a pulp… Mwah, hah, hah!"

"No! Not so quick! You! That _pretty girl_ will fit in MY collection! A good villain always has a good-looking _girl_ as executive!" An unknown voice rang out.

"Heh, heh, heh. Coming… The trigger of a crisis!" Phantom Black turned around and grinned.

"What? Trigger of a crisis?" Both gasped.

"Name's - Clock Man! And in about 3 minutes 38 seconds I'll be able to activate my - TRUE POWER!" The voice laughed.

"Clock Man? Who's that?" Both wondered.

"Mwah, hah, hah." Both villains laughed.

"Wait! You're telling us the reason you attack WAXA HQ was to bring this guy out into the scene?"

"Well! I dunno who you guys are but not like I intend to work with anyone~! I work alone! Hah! How's that? Whaddya think about my cool looks?"

The guy named "Clock Man" suddenly jumped into the scene and stood up to his full height of a meter of eighty.

His design was rather similar to the Denpa – Henkan users in the sense that he was a humanoid model Wizard yet he _did_ have legs unlike most Wizards.

Clock Man's face skin was colored in a slight reddish color and surrounded by a protective helmet: this helmet's ear-pads had two analog clocks with green rims built there and a bigger one with detailed spots for the minute marks set on his forehead: the segment of helmet behind the main clock was colored in slightly yellowish color with a mix of white thus making up a color reminiscent of wax statues: his lower jaw was protected by a gray metallic piece of armor.

The chest had a green piece of armor as extra protection and the space around his neck had a rim colored in that same wax-statues-like type of coloring.

His shoulders' upper part used the same color palette yet the lower half used a chilly green color: the SW and SE edges from where the arms emerged had a metallic gray ring drawn there.

The arms' skin was mere black yet it gained two parallel yellowish stripes running down the length of the forearm past the shoulder: a small analog clock had been set on top of each palm: the fingers had reddish skin just like the face.

Most of the main body was colored black yet the sides were covered by the white-like material until the knees.

The knees had thick greenish bands around them and the front part of them also had analog clocks placed there: the inner side of his boots had also been painted white while the outer side remained on being green-colored.

Lastly, both sides of the ankles had clocks built there and the upper part of the boots was black in color while the front, heel and soil had been painted in a brownish color.

Overall, his motif was clearly the "clock" itself and he appealed as being the smug type.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah. Another 2 minutes and 11 seconds and I shall activate - MY TRUE POWE~R! What jerks! I had such potential, but they wanted "just" to have a look at the flow of Time-Space! How boring! What thrill is there to that? Nah! I'd rather go and jump like crazy back and forth! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!" He laughed.

"What? Then this guy… I see! Like Joker…! Joker was a WAXA Project to control the power of the "Meteor Server" but he went off and ended up in "Dealer"… This guy must've been a project of that time and because the Joker incident was still fresh on their minds when they began to see this guy's behavior they deemed wise to seal him up to then reprogram him but they didn't get the chance to…!" Rock Man gasped.

"Hah! Good, Holmes! I'll praise ya!"

"I dunno who "Holmes" is but… I'll use my trump card to stop all of you at the same time!" Rock Man shrugged.

"Mwah, hah, hah! 1 minute 28 seconds left. Let's start! This data these guys provided looks interesting. Let's wind back my clocks! Mwah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!"

His clocks began to slowly wind back and then they increased their speed as a holographic clock began to be draw behind the so-called "Clock Man" guy: a counter for the day of the week, another for the day, the month and the year began to show up and was also rewinding at a mad speed.

"… Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Now! Time Freeze! You're coming with me, _pretty girl_! Hah!"

"Kya~h!"

"Misora – chan!"

Clock Man suddenly warped and appeared of front of Harp Note before he emitted a flash and Harp Note was paralyzed on the spot: he grabbed her and rushed towards the clock the hands of which were already slowing down along with the counters.

"Another 34 seconds and my TRUE POWER will be activated!"

"Like I'll let…!"

"Phantom Claw!"

"Che! Phantom Black! Outta the way!"

Rock Man had been about to chase Clock Man yet Phantom Black got in the middle and gripped him with the "Phantom Claw" attack to Rock Man's increasing annoyance.

"Mwag, hah, hah, hah! Rewinding complete! Destination… 17:05 PM Japan Time… _Tuesday February the 14__th__, 2012_! _Au revoir_!"

The clock's hands vanished and a "tunnel" opened which seemed to extend through another plane of existence altogether: Clock Man and the frozen Harp Note jumped inside.

"MISORA - CHA~N!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hmpf! I knew it was worth it freeing that guy! Let's go, Shinobi! My new drama will take place there as well! Farewell, Rock Man! You lowlife will soon be erased from History!"

"Roger, my Lord!"

Phantom Black tossed Rock Man towards a corner and jumped inside of the "tunnel" along with Assassin Shinobi: Rock Man recovered and jumped inside: the whole world turned into a bluish cylindrical tunnel extending beyond what the eye.

"No! Wai~t! I won't let you get away~! Hyde! Shinobi! Misora – chan! I'll save you… And I'll stop those two villain guys' ambitions…! No matter what… it takes! Whoa~h!"

A force began to suck him northwards and he yelled in fear…


	2. Chapter 2: Past

**Chapter 2: Past**

17:05 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 14th, 2012…

"… So!"

"I know what's coming, yeah."

"Do you think you deserve it?"

"You decide that."

"Hmpf. That's better."

"As usual… Sakurai – san questions if we deserve them…"

"And I know a Fatman wannabe who doesn't."

"Wha~h!"

"Ahem, ahem! Hikari brothers, Akashi Hiro – kun, Hikawa Tooru - kun and Noa – kun: line up! Yaito – chan, bring them over if you may!"

"Roger!"

"Wha~h!"

"You shut up, _Ookarada_!"

"Wha~h!"

"Run, you foul beastly stomach!"

"Ya~h!"

"Hah! Good motto, yessir. So! You guys! Line up already! Hikari Sr. goes first!"

"Why don't you call me "Saito" straight already and drop that silly title that Tabuu guy came up with, Yaito – chan?"

"Tee, heh, heh. I like picking on ya!"

"Lovely. What have I done to earn this?"

"Nothing. But I'm a bad kid. Tee, heh, heh."

"What a mess."

The Akihara Middle School 2 – A classroom had been decorated with motifs to celebrate St. Valentine's and several of the students were forming a queue to receive a chocolate from Sakurai Meiru and Ayanokouji Yaito: both girls hadn't changed much yet Yaito had experience a slight grow.

"Ya hear me? Come 'ere already, Hikari Sr.!"

"Alright, alright…"

Hikari Saito, aged 14, rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat at Yaito's insistent use of "Hikari Sr." to name him: his brown chestnut hair was neatly combed and his emerald green eyes showed some weariness to them: he got a medallion-shaped chocolate with the words "AKIHARA BAND" on it.

"Good! Here is yours. Netto! You're next."

"Roger."

Hikari Netto hadn't changed much and he kept his hair messy along with the bandana with the Hikari family crest: he also picked one chocolate and looked at it.

"Why "Akihara Band" of all things?"

"Dunno! Tee, heh, heh." Yaito giggled.

"Hiro – kun! You're next!"

"Yessir! Here I come~!"

Akashi Hiro was a guy around Netto's age and height: his jet black hair was a mess, much like Netto's, and his eyes' irises were blue.

"Before that, though… "Because of that… I now feel… Rabidly! Overwhelmingly! Vehemently disgusted!" … Hah, hah!"

"_Mazokuchou_ Girahimu, huh?" Netto grinned.

"That scene is so cool, really." Saito giggled.

"Tooru – kun! Your reward for your "collaboration"…"

"_Hai~_… Sakurai – san…"

Hikawa Tooru appealed as being 7 or 8 centimeters shorter than Netto or Hiro: his hair was also chestnut brown in color and his eyes' irises shared a similar color: he looked somewhat resigned.

"Last! Noa – kun."

"Thank you."

Tomono Noa struck out as being slightly taller than Tooru and closer to Netto and Hiro in height: his greenish hair was neatly combed and his eyes' irises were blue as well.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Luck's smiling on me… Oi, Netto! Call Rock Man and let's have a Net Battle! I've just got the ultimate trump card to beat ya in one attack!" Ooyama Dekao rushed in while laughing.

Everyone directed skeptical glares at him and his confidence seemed to drop down all of a sudden.

"Jeez. Gorilla Man and Ookarada… When will cha learn your place? Ya bought another scammed weapon, didn't cha?" Yaito complained.

"Scammed? No! Supreme! Unrivaled! Unique!"

"Yeah, yeah. We've heard that 9 times already." Saito grumbled.

"Huh? But it's the first time I bought this!"

"Don't play dumb. All times you tried they ended up exploding when activated and knocking Guts Man out."

"It won't happen this time! Because… This weapon is more powerful than anything ya could dream of! Behold! The "Hyper Laser Cannon"…! Hah!"

"That sounds like a _Star Wars _rip-off." Meiru coolly told him.

"Eh…? Y-ya think so, Meiru…?" He gulped.

"I think that. Now go fish. Shoo, shoo."

"Ya want a demonstration, eh? I'll provide it! Guts Man! Come here: we gotta prove the power of this weapon! Try it on the Virus Busting Class Mettools and annihilate them in one attack!"

"Guts, guts! Roger, Dekao – sama! Weapon equipped! Gutsu!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Be afraid, very afraid!"

"Yeah, yeah. We're _so_ scared, really." Yaito looked bored.

"FIRE~!"

"FIRE~! GUTSU~!"

BANG! NYAH, HAH, HAH, HAH! PUKU~!

"What in the…! The thing exploded!"

"See? And now Bubble Man laughs at ya even."

"That little swimmer-disguised jerk…!"

"Jeez. What's this scandal? Guts Man! It had to be cha. How rude of you to bother people when they are chatting!"

"Huh! Sorry, Roll – chan! Gattsu!"

"I thought he had learned his lesson by now."

"He doesn't, Glyde!" Yaito feigned being totally bored.

"… Desu! What a mess, desu! It's full of spray paint, desu!" Ice Man complained.

"Oi, oi… What happened now?"

"What you can see, Delta." Hiro sighed.

"No way… Another of those silly Bubble Man – made weapons? How many times has he tried to use them already?"

One Navi appeared in one of the laptop's screens: his main body color was jet black while his forearms, boots, shoulder plates, rear-pack and helmet were painted silver.

His face looked strikingly similar to Rock Man's although he had some slight differences regarding the eyes' irises (which were blue) and the shape of his cheek bones.

The central part of his helmet had a murkier silver color to it plus two rectangles and one band cutting across it starting at the back: some jet black hair came out from behind the helmet as well.

His emblem was the same _delta_ character set on his chest and ear-pads:

Overall, he looked extremely similar to Rock Man and seemed to be around his height as well.

"Ten." Saito replied.

"Ten already! Oi, Gorilla Man! Give it up! My guns are faster and cooler than your slow lazy body~! Heh, heh!"

"Don't go too far, Rafael." Noa warned.

"Don't worry."

"Gattsu~!"

"Whine away!"

Rafael's main body color was black and he struck as being around the same height as his Operator: close to a meter and sixty tall.

His head was encompassed within a helmet having a copy of his emblem set on the forehead with a metallic rim: the forehead piece was colored red while the rear part was black: a red stripe extended from the forehead and through the middle of the helmet while heading towards the rear: the sides of his helmet had white armor constructed over them: a small cavity housed the ear-pads from where a red stripe originated and was drawn across it until the end: the helmet design also included two small yellow pieces extending until the edge of the lower jaw.

His face had a hard-to-spot scar in the shape of the Alphabet letter "X" drawn above the nose: his eyes' irises were green and he looked youthful: spiked brown hair came out from behind the helmet.

Rafael's emblem was two triangles missing the base and being intercrossed plus three round dots on the middle of the formation and to the sides of it: the whole set was colored bronze and set against a navy blue background.

His chest armor had the emblem set on its middle: three parallel red lines were drawn over its upper edge and extended past the neck's base and apparently until his back: the segment below the emblem was colored yellow and it included a red stripe on the center which extended until the edge of the chest armor.

His shoulders had the shape of a red triangle drawn on their upper face while their main color was black: a thin round yellow stripe was present just where the arms began.

His arms' skin was also gray in this spot yet it soon got covered by black armor having a metallic piece of the elbow colored in a thicker shade of gray: the armor extended until the wrists where a trapeze-shaped piece of armor originated: his hands were covered in white "gloves" as well like most Net Navis.

Two thin red stripes ran down the unarmored gray-skinned body until the waist where another piece of armor was present: it had the general shape of briefs underwear and the color of choice was black as well: yet another red stripe ran down the center of it and curved to continue towards the rear.

One gun-belt colored silver was attached on the waist and had holsters for two guns which looked like modified handguns colored purple and having a white muzzle.

His boots began over the knees and extended until the feet: the color of choice was black again and there also was a red stripe running down the length of them across the center: the outer sides of each one had a white-colored triangle-shaped cavity which had a lower edge and a red stripe running down the rightmost edge: the heels' armor was gray as well.

Lastly, two white triangle-like extensions protruded from the rear of his body and extended diagonally towards the ground in a SE direction.

Overall, he looked heavily customized and cool.

"Gattsu~!"

"Say… Eh… Can you request Rock Man to come to the Cyber City later on, around 6 o'clock?" Roll called out.

"Sure." Saito smiled.

"Good. I'll be waiting in front of the new bookstore. _Ciao_!"

"Alright! Classes are over so let's head home already." Hiro smiled.

"And let's remember about White Day." Delta reminded him.

"Don't worry! I always fulfilled my White Day duty in a _duty-free_ manner, Delta! Heh, heh!"

"How silly, really." Delta sighed.

"Let's move out. And, Ookarada… I don't need you to even try: you always forget about White Day." Meiru shooed him away.

"Wha~h!"

"Whine away!" Rafael grinned.

"Be quiet." Noa rolled his eyes.

"But things have been quiet, haven't they? The Z – Militia got disbanded and locked up back in December and that Tabuu guy left to parts unknown along with "Proto" and Serenade's personality-less copy… But guess we can't complain…" Netto commented.

"Of course not… Let's get home and call Rock Man."

"GATTSU~! I'll beat the "A" License Exam! Gattsu~!"

"He never gets past the 2nd Virus battle's 1st round." Tooru whispered.

"Of course not. He must've had dumb luck to even get the "B" License to begin with." Meiru shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's go!"

17:15 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Mwah, hah, hah, hah! I'm faster than light-speed!"

"What was that, Zero?"

"Looked like a Navi dragging another along, Red Sword…"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! So this is it! Now… Begin Scheme! My overwhelmingly powerful drama is in movement!"

"Yes, my Lord! It is perfect! Let us stir terror and confusion! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

"There go another two. What's with this area today? Normally there's no – one but us two. This _is_ the WWW Area after all. The Viruses are a nightmare for any intruder…"

"Maybe they're making up some show and they came in through the surface secret entrance… They could've hacked the ground to form a pathway, Zero…"

"Then I'd say we don't mind them much."

"Yeah. Let's resume training already."

Zero, the former Virus who had been created by the WWW's "Professor", had been training in the "WWW Area" along with another Net Navi when three blurry figures rushed past the area at a mad speed so they couldn't properly distinguish them.

"Here I come, Zero!"

"Come! Red Sword!"

Red Sword had a wild flock of silver hair which came out from behind the helmet and covered all of his body's back.

His helmet's main color was blood red as well, yet the inner edges surrounding his thick red shades had a tint of purple to them: a purple band formed on the forehead and circled the whole diameter of it: two valley-shaped cavities had been inserted into the sides of it.

They ended in golden circles: a "fin" sprouted from the top of the helmet thus giving it a menacing-like look.

His main "skin" color was black, yet his upper torso had red blood armor built over it: there were two black shapes drawn over the shoulders having a golden rim and a thin black line spread from the base of the neck to the lower edge of the armor.

An emblem with a black edge was set on the chest: it consisted of white and black halves split by a thunderbolt-shaped line: white was golden and silver was right.

The forearms were colored blood red and had two purple-colored parallel formations which originated at the sides of the emblem atop each hand's palm: they spread over the edge of the forearm while forming a pyramid-like shape.

His right forearm currently held a purple-colored Long Sword with a customized hilt.

The central body of the forearm was now colored metallic gray and had two purple circles colored yellow inside: a purplish-colored blade emerged around a cone-shaped purple-colored formation: the blade looked sharp and menacing for some reason or another.

His boots began slightly below the knee and had purple-colored diamond-like shapes which extended as high as the knee: they were colored blood red as well: the soils were colored purple, too.

"Hrah! Delta Ray Edge!"

"Z – Saber!"

Zero's attack intercepted Red Sword's a second or two before it finished drawing but Red Sword could block it.

"I'm turning faster but my timing is still about two seconds slow. I need to improve it. Let's keep at it, Zero!" He muttered before he looked up with a grin.

"Same thing over here!"

18:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… O~w… My head's spinning… I feel dizzy… Just like when I fought Tabuu in his "Time-Space bubble"… I can barely sit up and I even feel like I'm gonna collapse trying to lift my head…"

"By all the… I feel the same, too. That tunnel thing was not normal and what's more: I've been looking at it for a while and it looks like it's a _one-way_ tunnel… And this place looks weird. Not to mention the digital clock, too…"

"What's wrong with the digital clock?"

"It displays a weird date and hour."

"Huh? It got broken or did we jump to another time-zone?"

"Nah. I know what a time-zone is, believe me. This is too weird. Maybe it's a result of when he froze Misora. After all they named the jerk "Clock" Man to begin with…"

"Huh… E~H? What in the world! Tuesday February the 14th… 2012! 18:34 PM Japan Time…! No way! Impossible!"

"I'd rather say that the impossible doesn't exist anymore."

"W-we've… time… time-travelled…? That was Hyde's goal? He wants to rewrite the future?"

"So it'd seem… Huh! The tunnel!"

"What's wrong with…? Oh crap! It collapsed?"

"Lovely. What do we do?"

"Dunno… Guess we gotta try to find Clock Man and rescue Harp Note to then beat Hyde and his punk…"

The _other_ Rock Man had just woken up and was sitting on his knees in the deepest part of the "WWW Area" along with War Rock who had been checking the tunnel Clock Man used: it suddenly got deleted and Rock Man gasped in fear.

"And I'm hearing what sounds like a fight further ahead yet the Viruses around here are beyond what I can do alone."

"Huh? That's a first." Rock Man muttered.

"It'd seem they have 500 HP, can trigger an explosion every 3 seconds, and it takes _one attack of 500 points or above_ to delete them _yet you gotta delete them with just one attack_!" War Rock explained.

"By all the…! And there I though the "G" Viruses were a bother. I take my word back. I'd prefer a swarm of them to those things."

"So ready your Folder and let's try to make it outta this place to begin with… I can smell the punk's trace which is still fresh… It hasn't been even 45 minutes since they left this place…"

"Roger… Ugh… Gotta stand up… Stand up…! Hah! Huff, huff… Wait a minute… I need to shake this dizziness off me."

He managed to stand up and quickly performed some flexions to get into form and panted: War Rock was warping around the area and was starting to draw what looked like a crude overhead map of the area.

"Best I can do… It's somewhat labyrinth but guess we gotta make our way through all straight… This area seems to be designed to prevent "Cyber Out" and to force you to walk all the way to the entrance yet there seems to be another exit leading somewhere… We should check it out and try to avoid those fighting sounds unless it's Hyde and the punk."

"Roger…"

Rock Man and War Rock silently made their way through by deleting the Viruses in a silent manner: the sounds of fighting came closer and there was a pause.

"… I did it! I connected! At least!"

"Huff… Huff… Not bad. I like this thrill. Both of us are addicts to thrills, eh, Red?"

"Yeah, Zero… Let's take a little rest."

"One of those voices rings a bell." He muttered.

"Doesn't sound like anyone we know…"

"Not our usual friends, obviously, but if I could remember… Let's try to avoid those two and focus on finding that second exit… And if they spot us I can always improvise and say I'm a newbie who started wandering at random and can't remember the way out…"

"I'd rather hide, then…"

Rock Man nodded in agreement and crawled across the ground to peek further in and spot the two guys there: he gasped.

"The silver-haired guy…! "DS" Blues…! I remember…! The attacks on Earth caused by the "Maou Twilight" who had built his base in the desolate desert planet of Zenay III…! What is the guy doing here? Is that a companion of his?" He muttered.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Another one for my collection! I'm soon gonna have a nice collection! It was lovely to kick this _pretty girl_'s boyfriend face and pick her! Mwah, hah, hah!" Clock Man's voice rang out.

"The guy from before?" Red Sword wondered.

"That didn't sound nice unless that's supposed to be live rehearsal of some drama…" Zero muttered.

"Should we go check it out? It's picking me."

"Worse thing can happen is that they shout at us for butting into their filming but… Whatever. I'm affiliated to the Science Labs. That should be enough to have them watch their tongues."

_Science Labs? And they have the wrong idea about what's going on anyway… But if they find Clock Man red-handed then they're surely gonna chase him…_

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! This first area is fitting to get rid of any chasers who try to enter MY area!"

"Area 1… Let's go!"

Rock Man rushed after them and he heard the sound of a quarrel so he hid behind some blocks and tried to peek in.

"… Take your hands off her, you!" Zero growled.

"What the hell!" Clock Man cursed.

"Who the hell are you?" Red Sword demanded.

"Hah! Clock Man!"

"R – Nation now?" Zero sounded exasperated.

"What R – Nation and whatever? I work alone!"

"A berserk solo Navi, then." Red Sword sighed.

"Berserk, me? How dare you!"

"We dare. And let go of the girl."

"Che! Interlopers… Taste my terrific power! Time…! Yikes! I haven't had time to reload yet! I need another 4 minutes 51 seconds!"

"Hah. You won't last even 1 minute 10 seconds under our combined firepower: we're veterans and you reek of rookie who hasn't even taken off the safety." Red Sword taunted.

"WHY, YOU…! Oh! What's that?" Clock Man gasped.

"Huh? What?" Both wondered.

"Hah! Gotcha!" He laughed.

"Che! Got tricked… Jumped inside of that clock-like thing… Let's give chase, Zero!" Red Sword growled.

"Roger!"

"… It's become quiet… Should I go or…?" The "other" Rock Man wondered.

"… By all the… The area is filled with locks requiring "Clock Data" hidden somewhere… And one of them is "close to the fountain" but what fountain does it mean? It's on Akihara Town to begin with?"

"Dunno…"

"Che. That jerk has placed obstacles…!" Rock Man cursed.

"Let's go ask for help. I'll mobilize the "Hunters' Guild"…"

"I'll fetch Forte."

_Forte! He was in Zenay III, one of the four Elite-class "Darkloids" under the direct command of that "Twilight" man…! He got deleted so that the man could absorb his power…! Too many coincidences… That "Twilight" man must have come from this age and he had prepared everything on advance…! And Kurayami and Kanaya said they'd been to the year 2011 a month ago when we faced them during the Wizard City Tournament…! What a chaos!_

"… What do we do?" War Rock whispered.

"I'm outta ideas. If even those two dunno where to find that data how can I, a foreigner to this age and region, know it? But… Maybe the reason Boss is missing from time to time and Dr. Lartes is left in charge is because he has to travel back and forth in time to monitor events or take care of them…! Maybe we can try to contact him for help…!"

"Bossing bossy of bosses?" War Rock tried to pull a prank.

"We're not in a position to prank, Rock!"

"… Bothersome Viruses! First time here and they're all over: and these are the special type Wily made up to test intruders…! Grah! We gotta cut through them and find that weird Navi who had the guts to abduct Roll – chan in front of MY noses when we were trying to shop for e-books and break my nose! It still hurts! Who the hell was that?" A voice rang out along with sounds of fighting.

"Dunno." Another voice replied.

"Che! Let's hurry or else…!"

_That voice… Why do I feel like I've heard it before? What's this pressure? I feel weird… Like something important is about to happen…!_


	3. Chapter 3: Another Rock Man

**Chapter 3: Another Rock Man**

18:47 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 14th…

"… Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Battle Chip, Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Slot In!"

"Dream Sword! HRA~H!"

"Phew. There. That's gotta be the guy's hideout entrance."

"Wait, Netto – kun. I feel a strong presence close by different from any Viruses… Over there! Rock Buster!"

"Wha! Don't go shooting at people for no reason!"

"T-that's…!"

"T-that's…!"

"Kurayami of the "Death Club"…!"

"Umbra, Elite "Darkloid" under the orders of "Maou Twilight"…?"

"Huh? I'm not named "Umbra"… I'm Rock Man EXE!"

"And I know Kurayami but I'm not him yet he mentioned you."

"Who are you?"

"Well… To tell us apart… Call me _Shooting Star_ Rock Man…"

"E~H? SHOOTING STAR ROCK MAN?"

"Hey, hey! Shoo! Halt in there, both of you! Bertie! Rocky! Hikari Jr.! War Rock! No more fighting: that's an order!"

"Omega – san!"

"Omega!"

"Yeah, me. We've got a bloody crisis going on and we're not here to quarrel! Lower your weapons and listen to me!"

"A-alright…"

"Ahem, ahem! Let's start with the introductions. Over there: Hikari Netto and Rock Man EXE, 14."

"A-alright…"

"And over here: Hoshikawa Subaru, 14, and his _aibou_ War Rock. I never bothered to ask how old he's mentally supposed to be but I guess around my mental age of 18~20 years."

"So… What's going on, Omega?"

"Calm down. I'll explain in a few words."

Rock Man EXE had managed to defeat a pack of Viruses and noticed "Shooting Star" Rock Man hiding close by so he shot over there thus making "SS" Rock Man come out and aim his weapon at him before they gasped and seemed to mistake each other for someone else: a newcomer dropped down from above and extended both arms left and right while standing in the middle of the field as if commanding them to cease any hostilities.

"Well. As you know, I'm Omega, and I'm the boss of the _Three Musketeers_… And I know I'm usually trolling but today I got that mode locked: we gotta focus on solving this mess."

Omega had a blue jewel shaped like an inverted triangle which was set on the forehead of his helmet which was emitting a cross-shaped flash.

His eyes' irises were blue and they displayed seriousness while long blond hair came out from behind him and reached until the floor.

He had a red vest over his mainly black body and red armor over his forearms and boots: two golden circlets were set around his forearms and on his boots as well.

"Yeah. We know that."

"Well. The guy who has been the "mechanism" to this crisis is named Clock Man EXE."

"He did have a lot of clocks on him." Netto admitted.

"Yet the mastermind is a guy from the future: SS Rock Man's constant enemy… Hyde, the Austrian. And his disciple Shinobi: the Alphabet Murderer." He summed up.

"Alphabet Murderer!" Both gasped.

"Yeah. Did in 26 foreign rent-a-spy guys over two months using _ninja_ style and always engraving the correspondent Alphabet letter on their backs to sign his crimes… And believe it or not he's barely 15 years old."

"Bloody hell!"

"I know. I've had some encounters with the guy. He's a punk but the worst part is his bloodthirsty… eh… partner."

"His Navi?"

"Well, Wizard…"

"Wizard Man?"

"Ahem, ahem! In the future, energy bodies with the ability to freely materialize have replaced Net Navis and are named "Wizards" like in the "setup wizard" programs… Remember "Cross Fusion", the process of materializing a Net Navi inside of a "Dimensional Area" by allowing it to borrow the Operator's body? Guys in the future can do a similar trick named "Denpa – Henkan"…" Omega briefed them.

"Wait! Then the "Committee" agent Mr. Denpa…!"

"Yeah. We told him of this and he picked this codename because it sounded powerful." Omega admitted.

"Yeah. I'm one of the very first users of this "Denpa – Henkan" ability."

"Funny coincidence. We were the first ones to use "Cross Fusion"…"

"Hyde's plot is simple: keep our hands tied with that Clock Man lunatic over there and try to find a way to change the future and erase "SS" Rock Man from existence. Yeah, like in _Back to the Future_…"

"Bloody hell!" Netto cursed.

"So! The plan is… To unlock that area and defeat Clock Man. Then we chase Hyde and his bloody punk. I've sent Blood Shadow and Sigma to chase their trail: Hyde isn't precisely the quiet type because he'd rather bring attention to himself by causing some disaster or another. Heck, he even staged a whole tournament just to try to defeat "SS" Rock Man in live after he'd beaten the finals." Omega told them.

"So… Where are the keys?" Rock Man EXE asked.

"Surely not too far… Clock Man has been moving in a rush and has barely had time to stop think too much and he's not the type either given how the jerk is a berserk project… I'm sure that the main clock of Akihara Elementary is one such place… Ah! One very important thing which I was forgetting about… This is Top-Secret. Seriously. No – one apart from us five can know what's going on. No – one can. Not even your parents, both of you." Omega warned.

"A-alright… You look serious, so… We better keep this a secret."

"You MUST." Omega insisted.

"R-roger…"

"O. K. Now it's settled. Let's go try to find the first key at the very least yet we'll use Forte's ability to skip large distances… Boss has been looking at some old documents left behind by Cossack – hakase and found out how to replicate that system…" Omega ordered.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Whatever you do is futile~! I'm a genius! They used to call me "Clock Genius" ya know! Mwah, hah, hah!" Clock Man laughed from inside the gateway.

"Ignore that silly bully-like taunt. Let's move out!"

"R-roger!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah… Oi! Clocked Jerk! I'm gonna have you rust!"

"Gra~h! I won't rust! I'll defeat you lowlifes! I'm - INVINCIBLE~!"

18:53 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Here! See? That's the "Time Data"… Now let's get it and… Oh crap. Viruses… Bah. No big deal. Step back. I'll clear this."

"R-roger."

Both Rock Men had come with Omega into a Cyber World somewhere and found a small glowing clock in the center of it surrounded by Viruses: Omega drew a light-saber having a white plastic hilt and a pyramidal green blade.

"Eh… In the meanwhile… Did that guy kidnap a friend of yours too? Hoshikawa?" Netto timidly asked.

"Huh? Ah. Yeah. Hibiki Misora – chan… My very first friend back when I was still shutting myself outta the world… Thanks to her I started to open up to the world… Long story… To sum it up… My dad worked in a government agency and was a very charismatic person. He adored outer space. He was one of the participants of a mission named "Bonds" in which a space station was sent to explore a region of space which had been recently discovered yet… The station vanished. The government searched for it during months yet the only thing which came back was the dismembered communications module… The crew was declared KIA and for me, who was 8 at that time, was too much of shock. I spent the next three years using a personal tutoring program to study but I didn't want to set a foot in the school…" He explained.

"Whoa. Eh… I…" Rock Man EXE called out.

"No. No need for condolences. Because, in truth… the station had been hidden by another party… Yet the crew was alive… And they managed to return… My dad has been back for about two years by now…"

"Ah! That's good to hear!" Netto smiled.

"Persistent jerks… Outta the way! Hrah! Hah! Hyah! Hwrah! Make way for the allies of justice~!"

"Allies of justice… Sounds somewhat _cliché_." Rock Man EXE muttered.

"There. One of them… Let's hurry back to the "WWW Area" and try to find the clue for the next lock…"

"Roger!"

"Open, Gateway!"

A purplish spiraling gateway identical to those Forte used opened and they jumped inside and ended up back in the "WWW Area" in front of the clock.

"Let's get inside!"

They jumped into a new area which seemed to be built by combining giant-scale clocks like the ones Clock Man had on his body plus brown blocks of concrete which formed roads: several clocks served as background too.

"There. The first lock… Good. Open… Let's head in!"

"What! They found the first key! But they won't have it easy to find the other three… My word!"

"By the way, Omega – san… Is Clock Man really intending to turn Harp Note and that other girl evil or…?" "SS" Rock Man asked.

"Nah. The jerk's a pervert who likes to continuously stare at them without doing anything else… That's why he freezes them so that he can stare at them for hours from a distance." Omega replied.

"Lovely." Rock Man EXE grumbled.

"Here: that's the second lock… Hum… "Skeletons, skulls and fake prophets speak while the lovely clock tick tacks away" … Hmmm… Skeleton, skeleton… Any ideas, you two?"

"Oi. Could it be Crown Thunder? The guy's a skeleton with a crown and a cloak after all!"

"No. It has to be someone of this era."

"That rings a bell." Rock Man EXE admitted.

"Bell Man! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"SHUT THE TRAP UP!" Omega roared.

"A-alright…"

"WE'RE TRYING TO AVOID A GIGANTIC DISASTER AND THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS PULL PRANKS? I NOW WISH YOU HAD A "SERIOUS" SWITCH LIKE I DO! I REALLY DO!"

"That sounds rather like Boss… Guess he tried to program what he felt when exasperated…" "SS" Rock Man muttered.

"Ah! I've remembered, sir! Skull Man, sir! He is the Net Navi of a Densan City seer named Miyuki – san… We casually stumbled upon her store back when the WWW Incident and trained there, sir!"

"Perfect! Oi, Hikari! Put on the roller blades. You're gonna have to physically go there and we'll follow through the other Cyber Worlds and the Wi-Fi but if we wanna Plug – In into the store's clock then you have to be physically present!" Omega commanded.

"Roger!"

"Follow me! We're going to skip on ahead. Blood, Sigma! Any status updates on those two?" He called over the radio.

"Negative, sir." A voice replied.

"Nothing, Sir Omega! They're not in the deepest reaches of the Reverse Internet yet we have no news of anything out of the ordinary going on: maybe the guy is trying to search for an ancestor of Hoshikawa and that could take time because the name could've changed over the years! We'll be updating every a few minutes!" Another voice replied.

"Good thinking, Sigma. Try to think of any place you'd go to try to investigate distant or past relatives. And I guess we'll need Dr. Lartes to run a search from his side, too."

"Dr. Lartes? Wasn't he the medic who was in charge of my case over two years ago, when the outcome of the last battle with "Gospel"…?"

"Well yeah. The same man. But that story can wait. We gotta get to that Miyuki person's store and grab the data. I'd like to have this settled before nighttime. Rock Man and you, Hikari, have class tomorrow, but Bertie is in summer vacation so he can keep on with me."

"Summer vacation, huh… Feels funny to think about it in the midst of this winter…" Netto muttered.

"Are you close?" Omega asked.

"3 minutes."

"Good enough. Move it!"

They jumped inside of the gateway and warped to another section of the Cyber World decorated with ghostly skulls and bluish candles: a Navi was roaming around there.

"Skull Man – san? I don't know if you remember me, but…" Rock Man EXE stepped forward.

"Mwah, hah, hah! So you're Rock Man! I remember ya. You've gotten some merits on ya, haven't ya~?" He laughed.

"Eh… True, sir… But I didn't come to train. I'm searching for something in the store… Have you seen a green Navi with a lot of clocks on his body and reddish face?" He asked.

"Oh yeah. The guy was jumping around like a crazy Mario and did something with the store's clock: it's ticking slower. But my Operator doesn't seem to notice that." Skull Man shrugged.

"G-good afternoon…!" Netto's voice rang out.

"… Welcome."

"N-Net Savior! I need to check your store's clock: a criminal has set something there!"

"Net Savior?" "SS" Rock Man wondered.

"Akin to your status as an "Irregular Forces" member…" Omega whispered.

"… Go ahead."

"_Thank you_! Rock Man! Come back here."

"Roger."

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE! Transmission!"

"There! The data… Got it!" Rock Man muttered.

"Excellent! Let's rush to the next one: the 3rd one!"

"Roger!"

"Do excuse me, but I need to leave…" Netto excused himself.

"… Water."

"Huh? Excuse me?"

"Water. I see it. Water."

"Water? Guess I should drink some, yeah… Goodbye!"

"Hikari! Head back to Akihara Town for the time being: we're gonna jump straight into the enemy's territory!"

"Roger!"

The trio landed inside of Clock Man's base and they undid the 2nd lock so they hurried over to the 3rd one: a grumble rang out.

"Che! Half of the locks broken! I shouldn't have put clues there after all and now I'm regretting it dearly!" He grumbled.

"That's what happens when you try to be the smart-lass."

"Why, you…!" Clock Man hissed as his anger escalated.

"Come out and face us if you're a man." Omega challenged.

"Che! I won't fall for such a vile trick! My word!"

"Vile? You're the vile jerk to begin with." Omega dully told him.

"Why, you~!" Clock Man growled next.

"3rd lock. Fatman's Room. Fatman? Ushijima? No, no… There's gotta be someone else…" Omega wondered.

"Dekao." Both Rock Man EXE and Netto announced.

"Ookarada, eh?" He formed a smug smile.

"Ookarada Dekao, then?" "SS" Rock Man asked.

"Well… Legally he's name Oo_yama_ Dekao but because he's rather fat we've come up with this corruption of his name…" Netto admitted while scratching the back of his head.

"Explanations can wait! Hikari! Plug Rock Man out and pay a visit to the guy while we wait here."

"Roger."

"No fair! You're supposed to sweat more than that!" Clock Man cursed aloud and began to dance in an idiotic manner.

"Then come at us!" Omega challenged.

"Nya~rgh!" He growled.

"Hmpf. Rubbish… Joker was far more serious than you."

"Joker, Joker and Joker…! The guy stole my spotlight!"

"No wonder. He'd smashed you without even having to "Finalize" into his "Grave Joker" form…" Omega shrugged.

"I'll make you regret that!"

"You won't. You won't last past 58 seconds. My word."

"KYA~H!" He shrieked in pure terror.

"Hmpf. That's better." "SS" Rock Man smugly told him.

"You lowlifes!"

"And those doors won't protect you for much longer."

He kept shouting curses at them but the three of them just grinned…


	4. Chapter 4: Violent clash

**Chapter 4: Violent Clash**

18:57 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 14th…

"… Che! What a persistent opponent! I, Blizzard Man, will beat them!"

"Cloud Man – sama won't be made to look like a fool!"

"I, Cosmo Man, shall smash them!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! I'm gonna slaughter all of you lowlifes and drink on your data to grow stronger! What thrill!"

"Well said, my disciple!"

Three Net Navis were fighting the duet composed by Phantom Black and Assassin Shinobi within a room placed somewhere in the Cyber World and decorated with a background having a brown fox holding a scout knife on his mouth plus the name "FOXHOUND" written in yellow-colored Alphabet letters.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Ya look like a cross between a snowman and a pro ski fan! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"Che! Don't look down on Blizzard Man – sama!"

Blizzard Man didn't seem to be much taller than a meter and fifty.

His eyes' irises were red as well and he had two red ear pads: a ski cap was being worn atop his head and it had a blue band above the forehead: the rest was colored orange and some loose cotton was set atop his head.

His shoulders were colored sea blue and his forearms had an orange rim at their start: his hands were covered in the classical white "skin" as well and held two ski sticks with an orange handle.

His upper body was colored orange until slightly beneath the chest emblem: there it formed a pattern reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "M" and colored sea blue: his lower body was colored white.

His chest emblem had a red rim and the drawing a white-colored snowman's silhouette without nose, mouth or eyes.

The rest of the emblem was colored black and so were his arms and legs.

His main body was round and both his arms and legs were short: he had green skies attached to his blue ski boots' soils.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Next is a jerk riding a cloud? Mwah, hah, hah! How silly!"

"How dare you! Insulting Cloud Man – sama...!"

Cloud Man, the second member of the trio, stood out because his lower body was a grayish cloud and he had no legs: his upper body had a mix of magenta and orange coloring.

His head had an orange helmet with the Alphabet letter "U" set on its forehead plus a spike having a small gray cloud over it: the helmet created a shade-like effect around his eyes, the irises of which were blood red as well: the rest of his face was gray in color.

His shoulders and forearms were colored orange while the skin was black in coloring.

A magenta ring was set slightly above each wrist, too.

Two small wing-like objects with three indentations on it and colored white emerged from the sides of his shoulders.

An arrow-like object was set over the hand and the forearms: its border was colored white.

His torso had three white stripes below the chest which only occupied about the center section of it: his emblem was set slightly beneath them and it depicted a single cloud set against a blackish background and having a white rim.

He had an open vest-like drawing over the sides of his torso which began above the shoulders and reached past the lower torso where his emblem was at: the vest's border was colored in a goldenrod color.

Each side had a cloud drawing slightly above where the three stripes began at: two button drawings were set between his neck and the stripes.

"Mwah, hah, hah! And the Golden Fanatic too!"

"Cosmo Man will blow you away, you lowlife!"

Cosmo Man appealed as being taller than his two companions and he had a commanding look to him.

Cosmo Man's eyes were simply black and surrounded by skin while his nose and mouth were covered by a thin layer of golden armor.

Four lines converged on the forehead where a small diamond was set: the head's upper portion was exposed and it had the typical black "skin".

Most of his upper torso was encompassed by golden-colored armor which also covered the shoulders: it ended around the chest where the emblem was set at: it was a simple four-pointed blue star drawn against a black background.

The design of the armor included two thick white lines emerging NW and NE from his emblem and curving as they ran parallel to the neck and past the shoulders.

Another two thin blue lines formed from the east and west sides of the emblem and climbed upwards: thus diving the armor into two uneven portions: the lower one was short in length while the upper one was larger.

The armor also covered both sides of the neck and continued above the head where it expanded into two ear-like extensions having blue round dome-like pads.

The arms had a blue ring around the elbow and each ring was complemented by fin-shaped extensions aiming upwards towards the shoulders.

A pale blue transparent ring was also set atop each wrist and the wrists had blue armor covering them: the fingers were also covered by the golden armor.

The plain black-skinned feet (the fingers of which couldn't be seen) had blue armor on their ankles as well.

He had also had a golden-colored diamond-like object set slightly above the ankle: this object had a blue-colored triangle-like pattern aiming upwards set slightly above of where they began at.

Two thick white lines extended from above the end of those diamonds and travelled towards the lower torso area until they met an oval-shaped object with a brown edge and metallic interior: two small rectangles were drawn on the north and south edges, too.

Another two thick lines came out from the NW and NE edges and met the chest emblem by connecting the SW and SE edges, too.

A large blue transparent ring was set around his body in a 45º angle and aiming to the SE from around the right shoulder until the left forearm.

"Mwah, hah, hah! What punks!"

"You're the punk!" Blizzard Man and Cloud Man shot back.

"Guys, guys! I need some help and… Hey! The two from the drama shooting?"

Red Sword rushed in and looked surprised to see them fighting: Cosmo Man looked at him over his right shoulder.

"Red! These two seem intended in wiping us out. I'd rather say we fight for our lives!" He told him.

"So they weren't there by coincidence. They gotta be the freakish monster's newest pawns." Red Sword got into a fighting pose.

"Freakish monster's pawns? How dare you! I am the scriptwriter: I decide what will happen and when and how!" Phantom Black exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? They kicked you outta Hollywood?"

"No! The Austrian Film Association! I'll have my payback on them but firstly I'll prove my power by deleting you lowlifes!"

"Hmpf. Two VS Four? I'd rather say the balance is in our favor."

"Ah. But who said we play fair? My word!"

"Mwah, hah, hah… Let's go! Shadow Clone!"

"What!"

Asassin Shinobi formed another two copies and they started a barrage of quick and continuous sword attacks which forced the three Navis into defensive mode while Phantom Black tried to hit Red Sword with his "Sword Stick" yet he failed because Red Sword was faster and he clashed blades with him: they began to struggle in the deadlock but it was obvious that Red was gaining terrain.

"By all the…! I thought you lowlifes were just Carnival punks!"

"Carnival punks? Hah. We're the "Hunters' Guild" lead by Delta – dono! We're "Irregular Forces", allies of society! Now go tuna!" Red Sword smugly shot back.

"Nya~h! Phantom Slash!"

"What!"

Phantom Black began to spin while letting the wind make his mantle blow into the air and be able to hit the opponent: he hit Red Sword 5 times in a row and managed to break the deadlock.

"Phantom Claw…!"

"Slow. Delta Ray Edge~!"

"Uwa~h! YOU LOWLIFE~!"

"Hmpf. That feels better." Red Sword smugly told him.

"My Lord! Do thou need help?" Assassin Shinobi asked.

"No! This is MY prey! Deal with the others firstly!" Phantom Black commanded while forming a grimace.

"R-roger. _Shuriken_ Rain!"

Assassin Shinobi and his two "Shadow Clones" jumped into the air and threw five or six _shuriken_ at each opponent thus forcing them to remain into defensive mode and unable to counter.

"Mwah, hah, hah! The real terror is about to begin."

"I wonder about that, punk."

"Yeah! Come at full power!"

"By all the…! The two barbarians!" Phantom Black cursed.

"Them!" Assassin Shinobi hissed.

"Name's Sigma: you're over!"

Sigma was about two meters tall and was colored jet black: a red spheroid could be seen set on his chest area and it seemed to be missing the armor over its mass.

His face had two red eyes and one shone brighter than the other: two horns, one of which was almost erased, were set on both sides of his head and added a "demonic" look to him.

Green data flows moved around his body and he held a massive black and green sword in his right hand which he was currently aiming at the floor in lazy manner.

"Here's Blood Shadow. Your little ploy is futile."

Blood Shadow's s main color of choice was red.

He sported black shades and a flock of messy reddish hair came out from behind the helmet given how it only covered the face and the front of the head: his ear-pads had two purple "V" letters drawn inside of them.

His armor had the purple letters "BS" engraved on the chest area while his legs were colored black and had two red stripes running down the legs' sides in a parallel manner.

His right forearm was covered by a device colored red coupled with a piece of it which was colored transparent red: a small indentation near the wrist had the same "BS" initials engraved there: and, where the hand would be, a large double-barreled shotgun emerged instead.

"This can't be! This wasn't in my _scenario_!"

"Your _scenario_ is lame. And you know it."

"Nya~h! Phantom Claw!"

"Slow. My turn. Area Steal! Charged shotgun shot!"

BLAM!

"Grwra~h! YOU LOWLIFE~! I'LL DELETE YOU FIRSTLY~!"

"I've lost track of how many times you've gone around boasting that but you've never met the mark. Not even once."

Blood Shadow had warped right in front of Phantom Black and used his shotgun at zero range to inflict a wound on the chest armor: Phantom Black roared and looked enraged by now.

"Did you think stalling us with those petty "Shadow Clones" would have any success to begin with? It was a desperate ploy and all desperate ploys end up failing, Phantom Black!" Blood Shadow told him.

"You lowlifes…! I'll let you taste a new power I've gained! The power I copied from you lowlife…!" Phantom Black hissed.

"Scary, scary~!" Sigma taunted.

He was trying to hit Assassin Shinobi with his gigantic sword and the enemy had had to cancel his "Shadow Clones" to focus in the dodging sequence: he was cursing under his breath and had shot several _shuriken_ at Sigma which got stuck onto his body but he didn't seem to notice them to begin with.

"These little tricks won't save ya! My armor is too thick to notice your toys and they're pointless to begin with! Now sweat for a while and dance the Crazy Dance! Mwah, hah, hah!" Sigma laughed.

"By all the…! This lowlife is tougher than I'd thought!"

"I haven't made it this far just by looks, ya know! Demon Laser! Demon Rings! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"What in the…"

Sigma's eyes began to emit red light and he projected two laser beams which travelled across the ground and set it on fire before shooting some blue thin electrified rings from his free hand's palm.

"Hell!"

Assassin Shinobi drew his _katana_ and sliced all rings in half before warping and trying to drop down from above into Sigma's head.

"DIE~!"

"Knock, knock." Sigma merely laughed.

Some kind of barrier made of several arc-iris-colored layers shaped like octagons formed above his body and when the _katana_ made contact the field repelled it and Assassin Shinobi: he ended up crashing against Phantom Black's rear and making both of them collapse into the ground all of a sudden.

"That black demon…! I'll destroy all of you with this power! Activate! Black End Galaxy~!"

He lifted his stick into the air yet nothing happened for over a full minute: he looked baffled and Blood Shadow formed a grin.

"Gotcha. Those programs need a password to be run. You didn't have it so it didn't execute. Too bad, Phantom. But we're pretty paranoid about our weapons being used against us." Blood Shadow told him.

"Impossible! This was to be MY trump card!"

"… "Was to be", "will be"… None of those matter. What matters is reality and reality says that you didn't bother to check it out ever since you stole that data from me three weeks ago, Phantom."

"You lowlifes…! Eat this instead! Meteor Light Barrage~! Atomic Blaze~r! Dynamic Wave~! Elemental Cyclone~! Thunderbolt Blade~!"

"Access denied. Access denied. Access denied. Access denied. Access denied. Initiating lock-down of Folder. Lock-down complete."

"No! No! Unlock! I command you!"

"No ID has been provided."

"Phantom Black – sama orders you lowlife to!"

"This ID is registered as "enemy" and thus protocol dictates that they are forbidden from gaining access." The auto-voice insisted.

"You bothersome machine!"

"He's trying to access our mainframe using hacked codes but the sentry is denying access." Blood Shadow explained.

"Hah! Then it's our turn! Counter-attack!" Red Sword rallied.

"The punk's ours!" Blizzard Man and Cloud Man exclaimed.

"Go ahead." Blood Shadow invited.

"Mwah, hah, hah." Sigma chuckled.

"Snow Rolling!"

"Elec Storm!"

Blizzard Man turned into a ball of snow and rolled down the ground to ram Assassin Shinobi while Cloud Man formed smaller clouds which emitted thunderbolts.

"Gruwra~h! Bloody you!" Assassin Shinobi cursed.

"Cosmo Gate!"

"Delta Ray Edge!"

Cosmo Man opened a "gateway" on the air above him and several brown-colored planetoid-like spheroids began to rain down around Phantom Black who couldn't react in time to dodge the red triangle Red Sword shot at him: he got hit by hit and made to crash against the wall next to the destroyed entrance doors.

"Nywra~h! Tactical withdrawal! Shinobi! Move your useless hide and let's get outta this accursed and plebeian turf!"

"R-roger, my Lord!"

19:14 PM (Japan Time)…

"… 4th lock… "Glassy punk fan of Math"…"

"Guess that's Higure – san…"

"Higure…? Ah. Yeah, yeah. The Chip Store Higureya owner… Good. Rock Man! Go ahead and get the key for this last lock and then we can tackle this jerk. Oi! Clock Man! You lowlife! We're coming for you lowlife so fight like a man!"

"Go salmon in Alaska~!"

"Hmpf. Whatever."

"Whatever the ever! I'm gonna shatter your clocks and you'll have to rely on a stone clock to know the time!"

"Shut up, Rock. Let's check our Folder."

Omega, "SS" Rock Man and Rock Man EXE had reached the last lock before the last road stretch leading to platform where Clock Man was standing at along with the time-frozen Harp Note and Roll: Omega taunted him and he began to look annoyed while Rock Man EXE plugged out to go find the last of the keys.

"Sir Omega, sir! We found the two runaways. They were trying to fight the "Hunters' Guild" but now have realized we clearly overpower and outnumber them so they're running away as we speak, sir!"

"… Lure them here. Clock Man has a portal heading back to the future which could be a last ditch attempt to elude us. We can toss those two inside and given how they're one-way tunnels then they wouldn't be able to return. Thus we can forget about them being able to change anything in the future which could be noticeable. Sigma! Get ahead of them and tell the others to cut off all routes expect for the one leading to "WWW Area 1"… Call for Forte's help if needed!" Omega instructed.

"Good! Then we can solve this in one fellow swoop without repercussions for the future!" "SS" Rock Man grinned and seemed to grasp the smartness of the plan.

"I can hear you~!" Clock Man shouted.

"So what?" Omega coolly shot back.

"You can't hope to defeat me~! I am INVINCIBLE~!"

"Everyone says them same when they don't wanna recognize their own weaknesses. Not even I am invincible given what I went through in Planet "Omicron"… Go salmon in Bolivia." Omega countered.

"Nya~h!"

"Status update, Sir Omega! We've pushed them into the Reverse Internet's higher levels and are slowly blockading them to force them to go downwards and towards this area, sir!" Blood Shadow reported over the radio.

"Excellent."

"… Hurry it up!" Phantom Black yelled in the background.

"I-I'm running as fast as possible, my Lord…!" Assassin Shinobi defended himself.

"We should've made them come there in another 3 minutes! Oi! I'm here~! Run for your salmons!" Sigma reported before provoking the enemy duet.

"Go to Hell!" Phantom Black roared.

"… Gotcha! The 4th key. Higure – san was trying to narrate some exaggerated drama and we had to stop him so that he would allow us access to the digital clock!" Rock Man EXE reported as he came back in while looking somewhat out of breath.

"Perfect. The culprits are headed over here, so… You two handle Clock Man and I'll make sure to toss those two into the tunnel back to the future so that we can wrap this in one fellow swoop." Omega grinned.

"No way! Impossible!" Clock Man protested.

"All's ready! Go!" Omega rallied.


	5. Chapter 5: Double Battle!

**Chapter 5: Double Battle!**

19:17 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 14th…

"… That's as far as you come! Clock Man!"

"Release them!"

"Nya~h! Bloody me! Why did I have to try to play the smart guy and place hints on the locks? Then you wouldn't have found them!"

"We would. By checking logs of the Cyber Worlds you've accessed in a rush to toss the keys at…"

"Grah! I'll delete both of you!"

"Sir Omega! We'll be there in about 1 minute 10 seconds, sir! Blood Shadow, out."

"Roger. Go ahead, you two."

"Roger! Battle Operation, Set!"

"In!"

"Wave Battle! Ride On!"

"Che! Can't be helped… Go! Tracking Arms!"

"That attacks looks like Skull Man's "Bone Stalker"… Two spinning arms which can hit you from several angles… Be careful!"

"Roger!"

Both Rock Men had reached Clock Man and they began battling him as a gigantic clock having only the quarters marked on it and the hands of which were constantly spinning showed up on the background: Clock Man formed those two "Bone Stalker" similar-looking attacks and both ducked or jumped to avoid them.

"Not fair! Ya gotta be hit by that!"

"We don't play by a pervert's rules!" "SS" Rock Man angrily shot back at Clock Man.

"Yeah! Eat this! Long Sword!"

"Grah! Not yet! I've got 620 HP left! Three o'clock! Clock Laser!"

The gigantic clock stopped at the 3 o'clock mark: a smaller one formed on the field and a large laser from the center which almost hit them but they managed to duck and shot Charged Shots at him.

"Grah! 520 HP left! Six o'clock! Crimson Dragon!"

"Crimson Dragon?" Rock Man EXE and Netto wondered.

"Oh hell. Not that thing again." "SS" Rock Man cursed.

Crimson Dragon's two heads showed up at both sides of Clock Man and shot red lasers from their mouths straight at the two fighters thus hitting them because they couldn't dodge in time: they shrugged off the damage and kept on attacking him with just Charge Shot attacks.

"Hell! 420 HP left! 9 o'clock! Calling Burai!"

"Calling Burai?"

"Burai. My rival." "SS" Rock Man summed up.

A copy of Burai formed on the field having the "Laplace Blade" drawn and he silently jumped and warped only to reappear before them and slash them with the "Laplace Blade" in one swift movement.

"That thing does 200 HP of damage! No kidding!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! 12 o'clock! Mega Clock Laser! Delete~!"

The giant clock stopped at 12 o'clock and hovered towards them to shoot a gigantic laser at them: both were hit and pushed backwards while Clock Man laughed.

"Powerless! Truly powerless!"

"Che! We've been forced to come all the way back here…! But we can use those as human shields! Come, my disciple!"

"Roger, my Lord!"

"Not so fast, Hyde. You go back first."

"Omega~! YOU LOWLIFE~! DIE~!"

"Slow. Hrah!"

"Uwa~h!"

"My Lord!"

Phantom Black and Assassin Shinobi rushed into the fighting grounds and Omega intercepted them before they could try to use both frozen girls as human shields: Phantom Black turned enraged at the mere sighting of Omega: he quickly kicked his lower jaw and then tugged his mantle to start spinning him around.

"Phantoms go home. Hrah!"

"WHY, YOU~! I SHALL REMEMBER THIS!"

Phantom Black was tossed inside of the gateway and Assassin Shinobi tried to follow him only to be intercepted by Omega.

"You go later. We've got a use for you."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Clock Man. But getting hit was on purpose. We've both got the same trump card." "SS" Rock Man told him with a smug smile.

"Yeah. You're fired." Rock Man EXE added.

"Wha~t?" He growled.

"Muramasa Blade~!" Both simultaneously announced.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE~!"

"Hrah! Hah! Hyah!"

"U… UGWA~H! MY REIGN…! IT ENDED…! IT DIDN'T EVEN LAST… PAST… 6 HOURS…! GRWA~H!"

"Che! I knew it! Failed projects are no good at battling! Oi, Omega! Outta the way! Before I cut that hair of you lowlife~!"

"Nope. Time for a nap."

THUD!

"Grah!"

"Uh-unh… Huh? Rock – kun? Where am I?"

"O~w… My head! Hyde and the punk! Where are they! I wanna blow them a thousand miles away!"

Omega knocked Assassin Shinobi out with the saber's hilt while Roll and Harp Note awoke from their stasis state while looking disoriented and out of place yet Harp Note looked about to blow a hundred opponents in a row to get rid of her bad mood.

"Calm down, Harp Note! We've beaten them."

"Now that I look at her… I see. Kanaya, the other "Death Club" member, had to be based on her…" Rock Man EXE muttered.

"Huh? What?" Roll asked.

"Eh… We met these that… foreigner… and he gave us a hand because that pervert Navi had kidnapped his friend…" Rock Man EXE improvised.

"Ah. So, who are you two?"

"Eh… War Man. Yeah, yeah. War Man." "SS" Rock Man improved out of the blue.

Omega made some signs for Harp Note to play along and given his serious face she seemingly decided to do that.

"Yeah. I'm Harp Note. We live in… King Land."

"Oh! King Land. I'd always want to go see that. Well then, nice to see this pinch ended. I'm going back home."

"… Omega – san…" Rock Man EXE called out.

"That lie should be enough. And if they try to push the matter say you're not allowed to say anything else. Remember: no – one must know."

"… Alright." Netto sighed.

"Eh… Can I leave something for them?" "SS" Rock Man asked.

"As long as it isn't too compromising…"

"… I'll give you a copy of a book I wrote… "Albert's Adventures"… This way you'll learn how I made contact with Omega – san and the others. We're not going to meet twice, so this will be a memento of mine. We've only interacted for a little while but you strike to me as a kind person who wants to help those in need." "SS" Rock Man told them.

"Whoa! Eh… Thanks."

"… Well… As memento from us… You can have this. A photo of my family's crest…" Rock Man EXE timidly told him.

"T-thanks."

"What's going on, anyway?" Harp Note asked.

"Long tale. But it must be kept secret. No – one on the other side has noticed anything peculiar and we've already covered things a bit up: we're sorry but this is something which could have too many negative repercussions which would be better off avoiding."

"Alright, then…" Harp Note shrugged.

"Remember, Hikari and Rock Man EXE. Top – Secret. For real. No – one must know the truth. Maybe one day it will be disclosed but in the current status… It would be too dangerous. We're going to sterilize this area to delete any remains of Clock Man and his tunnels."

"What are you gonna do with that guy?" Netto asked.

"We just want to check his data-holding device regarding Hyde's turf's location so that we can keep an eye on them: they won't catch us unaware next time around." Omega replied.

"SS" Rock Man and Harp Note, though, seemed to notice there was more to it but quickly hid that from their faces to avoid the other two from catching up to them.

"If they ask say those two are R – Nation agents and that we forced them to flee back home." Omega instructed.

"Roger."

"Or you could pretend it was a bizarre dream altogether too and that Roll was simply picked off by a Carnival jerk which needed a beating and liked to create holograms to fool others into believing he had accomplices when he hadn't." He suggested next.

"That could work…" Netto looked confident of it.

"Leave it to us, sir."

"Blood, Sigma. The sterilization is up to you two. Report to the training facility right next after you're done. Boss will decide if you should come back or not. I can always justify your absence to the crew saying that you're in an overseas mission."

"Roger!" Both saluted.

"Say farewell."

"Farewell!"

"Go!"

Omega, "SS" Rock Man and Harp Note (Omega dragging the knocked-out Assassin Shinobi with him) jumped into the tunnel which self-deleted a few moments later.

"Go back home, guys. And remember the promise." Blood Shadow advised them.

"And let's have a fair showdown one day too!" Sigma grinned.

"Sure!" Netto grinned.

"When it comes to a fair showdown, I won't lose so easily, sir!"

"That's the Rock Man EXE I know! Mwa, hah, hah!"

Everyone laughed in a jovial tone: the crisis was gone already…

19:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… FIRE~!"

KRACK-A-BO~M!

"… Nyah, hah, hah, hah! Puku~! Nyah, hah, hah, hah! Puku~!"

"Gattsu~…!"

"Not again! Why won't this work? I gotta be the one to rescue Roll and gain Meiru's admiration!"

"Oh yeah? You're a billion steps behind by now, Fatman."

"Yikes!"

Dekao had been trying to make Guts Man use a hoax weapon which imploded and knocked Guts Man out: he'd been practicing in front of Higureya when Meiru caught up with him.

"Rock Man and Netto already rescued Roll. And even if you had I'd merely said "thanks" and that's all. Your head is smaller than an oven."

"What!" He gasped.

"Ya heard me, Fatman. Go skate around the Strut E Heliport while setting C4s which are gonna blow up in just some tens of seconds." Hiro popped out next to grin at him.

"Come on, Hiro – kun…" Delta sighed from inside Hiro's black and red Link PET.

"Heh, heh, heh. The _Infinite Naraku_ is waiting for ya!"

"Stop quoting _Mazokuchou Girahimu_…"

"Slowly and carefully… Accept my anger's flames!"

"A salmon is gonna place a curse on us." Delta sarcastically told him.

"Heh, heh, heh. Ya think so?"

"Of course not…"

"So! Dekao. This marks the 11th attempt, right? Beware of the 13th because it brings bad luck!"

"Wha~t? Showdown!"

"W-wait, de masu! Let me give you some EXCELLENT advice, de masu! I know all of the rules and tricks, de masu!" Higure Yamitarou ran out of the store and rubbed his hands in excitement.

"That sounds suspicious." Meiru looked suspicious.

"What are you saying, Sakurai – chan? Leave it to pro like this gentleman named Higure Yamitarou, de masu! Let's fix the glasses, the necktie and the belt: I'm going to show up on the hidden camera, de masu!"

"Huh? Hidden camera? Who told you that, sir?" Delta asked.

"A gentleman named Troll – F!"

"Forte. Show your cloak. I know you're nearby." Delta sighed.

"Heh, heh, heh. I didn't think he was so simple-minded."

"You knew he wants publicity for his store. Where did you store your pet, "Gospel Jr.", anyway?"

"Left him to go hunt salmons in Cyber City's Aquarium…" Forte admitted with a giggle as he showed up behind Delta.

"Lovely."

"Heh, heh, heh! Go for it, Troll – F!" Hiro grinned.

"Ahem, ahem! Good evening! De masu! Higure Yamitarou! De masu! Welcome to my Higureya, de masu! Tonight I will give advice to a veteran battler who has survived Hell itself! De masu!"

"Oh yeah! Well said!" Dekao grinned.

"Come on…" Meiru looked skeptical.

"Hell itself… You call the "A" License Exam "Hell"…?"

"Oho. This is turning amusing."

"No wonder." Delta grimly muttered.

"Desu! Where's the camera?"

"It's hidden: that's the point of it to begin with!"

"Yaito – sama, I do think that…"

"Hah! Don't worry! Ookarada there is my bodyguard."

"O~i~! Am I on screen? Look at my cool guns!"

"Rafael… We didn't come here to show off."

"Huff, huff… We solve a pinch and they suddenly tell us there's another here… What now?"

"Yeah. Someone explain?"

The rest of the class rushed over there and now the other three did look surprised while Forte whistled a tune.

"It happens to be that I am about to become a famous gentleman! De masu! My word!" Higure grinned.

"Something tells me the "hidden camera" story is not truly believable, Higure – san, sir…" Number Man politely argued.

"Ask Camera Man and Sound Man." Forte suggested.

"Please…" Delta looked skeptical.

"Hmpf. Quite a show you've stirred up…" Meiru made a smug smile and looked somewhat amused.

"That's my specialty, Mistress."

"So you recognize my position of power. Fine for me…"

"Come on. Let's not start that up on St. Valentine's! Meiru – chan! I still feel dizzy!" Roll looked exasperated by now.

"Forte… It had to be ya!" Netto growled.

"You tricked us!" Rock Man EXE complained.

"… And then with my Number Man's skills I overcame the hell named Reverse Internet 4! I am invincible, de masu!" Higure explained as if he believed he was being interviewed.

"The pinch with the Austrian duet is over! But you gotta escape Higure Yamitarou's unending adventures!" Forte laughed.

"How lovely." Everyone (save Dekao and Guts Man) muttered.

"Alright! So! Dekao – kun! If you want to win for sure then go for Dream Sword Program Advance! De masu!"

"O~h! Just what I needed! How do I do that?"

"Easy, de masu! Pick a Sword, Wide Sword and Long Sword which share the same code and then Slot- In! De masu! You'll create a two-row-wide attack with a base power of 500 HP! De masu!"

"And if I had another two pairs then I could that thrice?"

"Correct, de masu!"

"Alright! Now I'm gonna get into the "A" License exam and beat it flawlessly! Mwah, hah, hah! And with a strategy to deal over 1500 HP of damage Rock Man doesn't stand a chance!"

"GATTSU~! GUTS POWER!"

"Guts Power… What silliness." Netto sighed in defeat.

"Let's patent that as the Akihara Gang's tagline!" Yaito giggled.

"Please leave it to me: Gabcom will soon prove that it has a secret weapon named "Guts Power" which IPC will be unable to overcome. Given how Ijuuin and Blues are overseas… Chance."

"Nyah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!" Yaito laughed.

"Anyway! Let's move on forward 'cause I'm sure something cool is forthcoming! _Bye_, audience! Smile at the camera~!"

Everyone looked southwards and seemed somewhat amused to see a real camera looking at them: they smiled and either giggled or chuckled…


	6. Chapter 6: Freedom

**Chapter 6: Freedom**

18:47 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 1st, 2206…

"… Gra~h! My new perfect plan failed! And Shinobi got caught by those guys too! What am I gonna do sans my competent disciple? His intelligence was what allowed me to come up with the tournament and this plan!"

"Guess they'll extract data from his Hunter – VG to know where we are and prevent them from getting caught off-guard before returning Shinobi to us… But what could just the two of you expect to really do? Nothing has changed. At all."

"Nya~h!"

"He won't change."

"Let them come! Those grass-roots movement ones! Those activists! Those anarchists! Those royalists! Those spies! Those watchdogs! Those foolish ones! Those vain ones! Those pointless ones!"

Hyde was pacing around what looked like the living room of a manor somewhere while lifting his stick into the air and making a speech: Phantom, his Denpa Body, looked on while being seemingly resigned to just watch Hyde's behavior.

"No good."

"Those critics! Those reviewers! Those run-of-the-mill mice! Those bothersome interlopers! Those vulgar ones!"

"Come on… Go act in a theater and get the Emmy Award or whatever it's called, Hyde." Phantom sighed.

"Those revolutionaries! Those secessionists! Those plebeians! Those Germanics! Those barbarians! Those Eastern ones! Those repulsive veterans!" He exclaimed in a row.

"That's why I say that speech would be better if addressed to a public somewhere…" Phantom sighed.

"Ah, the mice! Ah, the pirates! Ah, the buccaneers! Ah, my word! Ah, the boarding parties! Ah, the ransacking ones! Ah, the fooling ones! Ah, the catastrophic ones!" He changed the manner of his speech.

"Uh-unh… O~w… My head's spinning… My Lord… I am back."

"Ah! So! What happened?"

Shinobi (outside of Denpa – Henkan but not having changed much given how he'd only lost the _shuriken_ on his shoulders and knees) walked towards Hyde and then kneeled while looking somewhat dizzy.

"I am not sure… I've been K. O. almost the whole time, my Lord… I woke up being tossed 500 meters SSE of this place… I think I've been out cold for about 4 hours in a row…!" He reported.

"… _Ware moo naanni mou kiizutsukannakattaan…_" A voice rang out while seemingly speaking in some ancient idiom.

A Denpa Body formed: he was reminiscent of a typical ghost, having a white body with no legs and a hood with a Halloween-like face carved on it emerged: its "eyes" shone with reddish light.

"He said "I didn't notice anything either"…" Phantom translated.

"… _Kiisaamaan! Damareen!_"

"… "Shut up, you lowlife!" … Not again. Look! Things are like they are: unless a superior authority says otherwise you "Assassin Clan" are a forbidden tribe and my rank is higher than yours."

"Alright! So! Give me an idea!"

"Huh! Eh… Hum… That's… Eh… Front?"

"Front? Set up a front? Oh! I see! Try to use those two repulsive interlopers you fought a month ago as a front and turn them into my proxies to weaken those two lowlifes and then deliver the _coup de grace_ and emerge with glory! Brilliant! Supreme! Magnificent! Intelligent! Ultimate~! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"There we go again!" Phantom sighed.

"Eh… My Lord… Might I go to my quarters?"

"Sure thing! You've already fueled me up. I'll handle the details! Mwah, hah, hah! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

Shinobi rolled his eyes and headed down a corridor into a sparsely furnished room having just a bed, a drawer set, and a chair: he sat on the bed and removed the _katana_ sheath plus the utility belt: he then flipped face-up and brought the right hand to his forehead.

"I feel weird." He muttered.

"… _Chii woo hoshiin_!"

"… "I desire blood"… Go slaughter cattle." Shinobi grumbled.

Assassin made a hollow echo-like chuckle and warped out of the room while Shinobi grabbed his _katana_'s sheath and began to stare at the glyphs on it.

"… "You who wield this weapon are worthy of Assassin's power and thus of being one of us. Go and smear it with the blood of the Mu tribe, the fools who tried to wipe us out! Grand Assassin Master." … Hah. And that's what I've done. I'm not called the "Alphabet Murderer" in vain! Mwah, hah, hah! Heck. What a persistent headache! Is _that guy_ struggling to try to jump into the front or what?" He read and laughed before he uttered a curse.

He suddenly frowned and seemed to realize something.

"… That guy's presence…! The stress which comes with trying to repress his awakening…! They're - gone! B-but… How? Wait! Didn't something similar happen to Futaba? Could my long unconsciousness be connected to this and be the reason why Omega caught me? I see. So that's how it is, then? Mwah, hah, hah. Fair enough! Split that guy from me: I have no use for the guy and thus no distractions will get in the way… And now you can really go all out on me! Mwah, hah, hah! I'll be waiting for your new challenge!"

He laughed aloud in a victorious tone of voice…

19:02 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh? Where am I…? What day is today? What have I been doing? Oh yeah! The tournament! I got into the Best 4! The weird clothing and stuff in my bag…! I was gonna tell the other contestants but I suddenly felt sleepy and… I don't remember anything else!"

A guy sat up from a bed and stepped down from it inside of a cubical metallic room having this bed, a desk, a chair and a small cubicle set in the NW corner which seemed to be a small bathroom.

The guy was about Subaru and his friends' age and appealed as being around a meter and sixty tall: his skin was teal and so was his hair: it grew until it almost reached the base of his neck and his eyes irises' were of a sea blue color.

He sported jeans, boots and a purplish sleeveless vest with three pairs of golden buttons connected by golden chains: it was somewhat short, so a bit of skin between the waist and the lower torso was visible.

He also wore two pairs of golden bracelets around his wrists to complete his outfit.

"I'm Shinnai Nick: that I can remember. I got into the Best 4 of the Wizard City Tournament after clearing the Round of 8's 3rd Battle. Is this the Wizard Ship? Weird. The room looks so different… The infirmary? No, doesn't look it, either. And I can't feel any movements."

"Hello? Nick – kun? You awake?" Subaru's voice rang out as he knocked into the door from the outside.

"Huh… Yeah. Come in."

Subaru stepped inside and looked surprised at the dim lighting: he pressed the light switch and Nick closed his eyes for a moment before looking around the room.

"Huh… What happened to the tournament?" Nick asked as if trying to recall.

"You ended up 2nd runner."

"Whoa. 2nd, you say! Who was 1st, then?"

"Me."

"Whoa! Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"But… What day is it today?"

"August the 1st."

"WHAT? But the Round of 8 was in June the 29th!"

"I know." Subaru calmly replied.

"More memory blanks! Will you explain to me what do they mean and why were those _ninja_ clothes stuffed in my sports bag?"

"Sure. But come with me: there's a nicer place in which we can talk without being interrupted." Subaru invited with a smile as he headed towards the door.

"A-alright… Say… Where's Wotan, my Wizard?"

"In the midst of a software update…"

"Ah. Good, good…"

Nick followed Subaru outside the room and into a curved metallic corridor having armored labeled doors on both sides of it: the ceiling had a vault-like shape and some arches were placed every some tens of meters: fluorescent lights set in the middle of each vault provided the illumination for the corridor and Nick looked around, surprised.

"Alright. This isn't the Wizard Ship. So where am I?"

"I'll now explain. Let's go here." Subaru relieved him.

Subaru opened a door labeled "OBSERVATION DECK #11" and blinked Nick an eye: he gasped when they stepped into a room built like a cinema's showing room yet instead of a large screen in the far wall there was a Plexiglas panoramic window allowing for sightings of Earth.

"W-what in the…? This ain't a "Solid Image"…!"

"Of course not. We're in orbit."

"In orbit!" He gasped.

"Yeah. This place is the HQ for a group named _Subspace_: they are collaborators of us Satella Police. I'm a part-time member, too. It's a large orbiting ship hidden from plain view using stealth camouflage. Only a few know it's here." Subaru grinned.

"So! Will you explain what's happened to me?"

"Well… Ever since _that night_ when _that incident_ happened to you… The shock from that was too much for you to channel so a part of your brain ended up accumulating the instincts of hatred, murder and revenge thus giving place to a _multiple personality disorder_…" Subaru began explaining with a sigh.

"M-multiple…! Then…! That "Shinobi" man was…!" Nick seemed to be catching up already.

"Yeah. Your other self. Your evil self."

"My evil self…!" Nick gasped.

"He… killed your father."

"… I see." He calmly muttered.

"And he then fled home into the Sanctuary. Somehow, he ended up meeting Hyde, who was by then searching for clues on the OOParts and how to unlock the sealed Mu Continent… They met and when Shinobi explained what he did Hyde picked interest on him. They'd been collaborating with the last living descendant of Mu who was around your age back then, too, but Hyde didn't like the guy and they got into fights given how the guy just wanted to know _why_ his tribe had almost died out of existence from their old glorious days yet Hyde's gang wanted to rule over the world with the power. In short: he was the perfect chance to replace the collaborator with a totally loyal guy instead." Subaru narrated next.

"And he took him in as disciple?"

"Yeah. He granted him a Mu Denpa Body, "Assassin"… And the OOPart "Shinobi", the artifact hidden in the "Sanctuary"… Given how the collaborator ended up discovering the location of another, he played along and chased me to get his hands on it, which he eventually did, yet he always hid the existence of "Shinobi" and "Assassin" from his Boss until the very end." Subaru confirmed.

"And you've somehow locked him inside of my mind like he did with me or…?"

"No. We've extracted him and placed him into another body."

"H-how's that possible?"

"The head of this organization is a bio-tech genius. He came up with a concept named "Cyborg Body" in which most of the brain is fitted with a mechanical infrastructure plus some implants in the CNS and a network of intravenous nanomachines… The resulting person is 90% human yet his mind is electronic, like a Wizard's." Subaru revealed.

"And this is my true, original body?"

"Obviously. Assassin or not, a human life is a human life and we're not killers so we granted him a chance. And this way he won't be able to keep you imprisoned anymore."

"… I don't know how to thank you, Subaru – kun…"

"You needn't. As a Satella Police "Irregular Forces" member my mission is to help people in need. And I _did_ save Earth thrice and never asked for anything but smiles in return."

"… Then… You ARE… Rock Man? Shooting Star Rock Man?" Nick seemed to catch up.

"Yeah. But don't think that highly of me. Alone I couldn't have done it even once. Bonds. Bond Power. Brother Bands. Those were what allowed me to keep on forward no matter what happened. The strength my friends shared with me…"

"Whoa…" Nick whistled in surprise.

"Now you're free, Nick – kun. You're free to decide what you wanna do with your life." Subaru looked at him.

"… I've got an aunt. I can go live with her. She was always very kind to me, too…" He decided.

"Then go ahead. It's your path. Your road. You write the history… Your own history. But let me give you a memento."

Subaru suddenly took out a pocket edition book from his shorts' right pocket and handed it to nick.

"… "Albert's Adventures" by Kazimura Albert…! I think I'd heard that it was a big success but I dunno the why."

"Maybe by reading it you will understand." Subaru teased.

"… Say…"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"… Could I… Could I… form a "Brother Band" with you? You've gone so far to help me… And I want to return the gratitude somehow…" Nick timidly requested.

"Of course! You're welcome to!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah. Here's Mr. Ancient and his high-grade catchy playtime thing!" War Rock suddenly came in while holding a Hunter – VG and chuckling.

"Save your silly titles for another day, Rock."

"Whoa. Version update… The new interface looks cooler… Eh… To form a Brother Band… This menu… Right?" Nick muttered as he interacted with the graphical interface.

"Yeah. And now you search for my name in the list of persons who are close by."

"Alright. I'm ready."

"Go!"

PING!

"… I did it…! My very first "Brother Band"…!" Nick smiled.

"I should've guessed that, but… Congratulations! Now we can be connected and share information over this channel. Remember, Nick – kun! You decide what do with your life. No – one is going to force you to anymore." Subaru reminded him as he set both of his hands over his shoulders.

"Yeah! You're right."

"Mwah, hah, hah. Now we're gonna have a square?" War Rock asked with a grin and looked amused.

"S-square?" Nick asked.

"Nope. Go tuna in Alaska." Subaru shot back.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Alright, Mr. Boss." War Rock grinned.

"Mr. Boss? That sounds weird." Subaru grumbled.

"Yeah. Can't you come up with something far more intelligent? Like a riddle or…" Nick suggested.

"Nah. My style is straight humor."

"Straight humor…? That sounds like something you've patented right here and now." Subaru looked skeptical.

"Watson XXVI came!"

"Watson? I know no Watson. Go cod."

"Cod Man is going to sneak in through the _classical_ backdoor! B-B-B-B-Bertie~!" War Rock laughed.

"Isn't that a nickname for "Albert"…? Wait. So the author of this book… Is you? Subaru – kun?" Nick grasped.

"Well. Yeah. Long tale. You'll figure out the why there."

"Why don't ya come and we assemble a square, Nickel?"

"Nick, not "Nickel"…!" Nick protested.

"Go – cod – already!" Subaru hissed in a low tone of voice.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah. Alright. I'll bring Ox along and we'll see who can slice and burn more cod in a minute's time~!"

War Rock warped out and both guys sighed in relief: Nick walked over to the thick Plexiglas viewing window and looked towards the moving planet beneath him.

"… What an irony… Seen from the outside it may look like a lush blue planet and you can truly forget about all problems happening down there… No wonder… Some people would prefer to spend the whole day realizing how insignificant they are compared to the unending vastness out there…" Nick muttered.

"Yeah. Boss is one such type of person. He is concerned over things on the surface, yet, to disconnect, he has this place. Oh! I was almost forgetting: I collected the 2nd place trophy in your name and was waiting for a chance to give it to you. Wait a min and I'll fetch it!" Subaru smiled.

"Whoa. Alright."

Subaru rushed out while Nick sat down on the ground and kept on staring at the blinking lights of the mass of orbital satellites.

_My first "Brother Band"… I am free. I can finally live up the life I couldn't live until now because I was trapped in a circle of violence and fear…! _

"… Sorry for the wait! Here you have it!"

Subaru brought a silver trophy having a tower-like building as the trophy sculpture and the words "WCT 2ND PLACE: SHINNAI NICK" on a plaque.

"And now let's protect our bond and move on forward!"

"Deal!"

Both shook hands and formed a smile…


	7. Chapter 7: All good things

**Chapter 7: All good things**

20:20 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 1st…

"… What in the world happened?"

"Well… From Subaru's and Misora's reports… While I was K. O. and everyone else was gassed… Hyde and the punk tried to steal data on the "Noise Canceller" to sell it and turn it into a weapon of mass destruction yet they managed to stop them and a guy named "Clock Man" as well because he was being hostile…"

"Clock Man! The failed project… I'd forgotten he existed!"

"True."

"Well. If it was gonna become another Joker and there was no ground for reasoning with the guy then… Better kill the root before it can grow into something dangerous…"

Shidou was reading a report to the crew of WAXA who seemed to have recovered from the gassing of the morning: Dr. Yoiri gasped and seemed to remember who "Clock Man" was when Shidou mentioned his name from the reports.

"Well! Then they did the right thing. So what happened to Hyde and his accomplice?" The Chief asked.

"Hyde ran but they caught the punk and got the data of their hideout's location… They then tossed him there. Apparently the place is an old manor which had belonged to some star or another and then fell into some decay so its price plummeted down. Hyde bought it for four cents and there he lives with Shinobi. He procures the food with no trouble given how we never bothered to divulge any photos of the guy's face or anything…" Shidou read next.

"A mistake, I'd say." Acid muttered.

"We are not perfect." The Chief shrugged his shoulders.

"Truly. Yet, back in the 2170s…"

"… Jin Kan Yoga was popular…" Everyone finished.

"And in the 2160s, on my 20s, then…"

"Jumping Speed Soda was popular…"

"From what I was told, during the 2150s…"

"… Heel-long skirts were popular…"

"And around the age I was born, on the 2140s…"

"… Jet propelled cars were popular…"

"My, my! How do you know all of that?" She looked surprised.

"You told us countless times, hakase~…" Everyone sighed.

"My, my! One's memory isn't what it used to be."

"So. Akatsuki. Admitting your guilt?" Queen Tia suddenly popped out into the room and questioned him.

"So what?" He shot back.

"No, he did the right thing…" Jack muttered.

"So you helped him, Jack?" Queen Tia questioned.

"N-no! I'm uninvolved!" Jack gasped.

"You better be." Queen Tia icily warned.

"Come on! Now you're threatening your little brother? Queen Tia! Stop being so cold and impersonal: you're a human, aren't you? Or are you intending to follow in the footsteps of that "Ice Queen" criminal?"

"… Of course not."

"Well! You're not proving it! Say it, lawyer's apprentice!"

"I – am – not – a – lawyer's – apprentice!" Acid was exasperated.

Shidou shrugged his shoulders and grinned while the others looked nervous at Queen Tia's behavior…

20:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So!"

"What's up, Luna – chan?"

"Cha know what's up! Where did ya smuggle Rock Man – sama to? There was no reaching him!"

"That was Hyde and the punk's handiwork…"

"Hah! I won't fall for such a cheap trap."

"Come on, Luna – chan… Do you really believe the 2 – A Class _iinchou_ would spend her time quarreling over jealousy?"

"Hmpf!"

"Jeez! Luna – chan! If you want to tell Subaru – kun that you have a crush on him then go tell him! We're just _friends_! I'm friends with you and the rest of the group!"

"Pororon! Stubborn type."

Luna had seemingly contacted Misora in a fit of jealousy and looked hostile: Misora kept on being and collected: both of their Wizards sounded resigned.

"Huh! Ah… That's…! Eh… Hum…!" Luna gasped.

"So?" Misora asked.

"Che! I'll remember this!"

The line was cut rather abruptly and Misora rolled her eyes in obvious exasperation.

"Lovely. And now she'll take out her bad mood into Gonta – kun. Luna – chan has too much temper." She muttered.

"Yeah. Pororon! She had to call us just as we got home and we were about to have dinner." Harp complained.

"Yeah. But I don't complain."

"Yet I still find it weird… What happened today? I mean… I can properly remember about us fighting Hyde and the punk. Then I can't remember anything else until Omega and War Rock helped us along with that guy who reminded me of someone. And next thing we know we're travelling a weird tunnel and end up back at the origin point. Then Omega has us write that we simply forced Hyde and the punk to flee and War Rock beat that "Clock Man" guy… Weird. Pororon!" Harp explained.

"Yeah. But I won't question him because he looked totally serious today and wasn't in the mood for any pranks, either."

"True. Well! At least we can now predict whether Hyde is up to something sneaky again."

"Hmmm? Mail from Sigma… What does that guy want? Huh? Oh come on…! What silliness…!" Misora read something on the Hunter – VG and looked irritated.

"What's up?" Harp asked.

"This! "Fatman is gonna get into the Guinness Book of World Records 2206 as the most cheating guy on the world!" … Gonta – kun sure cheats at homework but I'm sure there are guys who do it even worse than he does…" Misora annoyingly read aloud.

"Pororon! True. So? Got any ideas for your newest song?"

"Some, yeah… I'm still trying to organize them a bit. But, hey, this is August. I wanna disconnect for a while and travel around in a discrete manner. Tee, heh, heh. Some new landscapes will surely help me get some inspiration." Misora stretched and giggled.

"Pororon! Yeah! And we can teach Rocky one or two lessons on how a battle is won using the head!" Harp giggled.

"Hum… I know. Operation: Vacation Switch Off! Kick Off!" She seemingly improved a motto.

"Start!"

Both giggled at their jokes…

20:28 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Kizamaro~! Gimme a hand, will ya~!"

"Nope, Gonta – kun. I cannot."

"Sadly enough…"

"Buro~! Use your brains."

Gonta was pleading for help to Kizamaro but he didn't seem to want to contribute and Ox looked annoyed at Gonta's behavior.

"NO FATMAN IS GONNA GO AND TRY TO FOOL OTHERS INTO DOING THE WORK FOR HIS USELESS HIDE WHILE I AM THE IINCHOU OF CLASS 2 – A~! NOT – AT – ALL!" Luna could be heard yelling outside of Kizamaro's house all of a sudden.

"… _Iinchou_'s rehearsals, eh?" Kizamaro adjusted his glasses and formed a grin on his face.

"Yikes." Gonta gulped.

"Scary, truly." Pedia muttered.

"Buro~! Get ready." Ox warned.

"CLASS 2 – A WILL PROVE ITS HONOR AND DECENCY~! DEFINETELY~! MY WORD!" She exclaimed next.

"Surely Mode is telling her to lower her voice already…" Pedia muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"Heh, heh, heh! Obviously! Ah! And Gonta – kun… No copying from the other students or _iinchou_'s anger will turn you into raw materials just by setting the target into you!" Kizamaro smugly grinned.

"I knew it! You're a jerk!"

"Buro~! You go back home and sweat a while!"

"I'LL REMEMBER THIS GLASSY JERK!"

"Come anytime. _Meitantei_ Kizamaro won't lose! Heh, heh, heh!"

20:41 PM (Japan Time)…

"… When?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. Fine."

"At least you're being serious again."

"Guess that the Wizard City Tournament proved to me I needed to toughen up…"

"Da… Ga…"

"What? You want to slice that ghost in half? Go ahead."

"Well then, I'll be there right at 8 o'clock… Japan Time! I know there's a whole 12 hour time difference there."

"Of course."

Subaru was speaking with Solo via the Hunter – VG: Solo looked serious as usual and Laplace was hovering close to him.

"Mwah, hah, hah! True terror is forthcoming! _Mitternacht_ is drawing closer, Subari~!" War Rock joked.

"How terrific." Subaru drily replied.

"What's that?" Solo asked.

"German for "midnight"…"

"Midnight? It ain't 9 o'clock even." Solo frowned.

"He didn't say we're at midnight, he said that midnight is drawing closer, so…" Subaru shrugged his shoulders.

"Claw Man and his evil twin Lawyer Man are setting the ground for an ice skating ring! Mwah, hah, hah!" War Rock laughed.

"Stop saying bad things about Acid."

"Acid – chan!"

"Don't start copying Dr. Yoiri either."

"Subaru – chan!"

"Behave or else Master is gonna shut you in the server for another two weeks." Subaru growled.

"Wuo~h! Mercy!"

"About time." Subaru sighed in relief.

"Kidding. The Prophet of Mercy is about to drop down above our heads and say they're gonna dynamite Okudama Studios!"

"Dynamite Okudama Studios! We gotta warn the Satella Police ASAP and search for the dynamite…!" Subaru gasped.

"Dynamite…? If memory serves it used to be a highly-employed type of explosive…" Solo muttered.

"And they're gonna bring a new dynamo there too!"

"Dynamo is no problem but the dynamite… Wait a min! It's a pun!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Yeah! The true meaning is that they're gonna bring in a dynamo to replace the broken one!"

"Who the heck came up with that?"

"Tabby – chan did!" War Rock laughed.

"Tabuu did? Jeez. Omega – san sure corrupted him with his cheap and pointless humor." Subaru grumbled.

"Someone else is calling." Solo called out.

"Subaru – kun? It's me, Tsukasa. Have you seen my right sneaker? I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"Gino speaking… I'm missing my whole pencil case…"

"Blood Shadow here… Who picked my helmet again?"

"Sigma is 'ere! My sword's missing!"

"Here's Omega… Who the hell picked my gun?"

"Rock. You've done it this time."

"Da! Ga! Ra!"

"What'd you say? My save game data's gone? And you didn't eat it up? Hoshikawa! Your Denpa Body…!" He growled.

"WAR ROCK!"

"Catch me, guys!"

"THIS GUY…!"

"YO, YO, YO! Moon Ace over here~! The "Rock Man – sama Fan Girl Club" has officially overcome the 40,000 members mark!" Moon Disaster showed up on-screen too.

"Oh yeah? How spectacular, Moon Disaster."

"YO, YO, YO! Hey! War Rock! What's up, man?"

"Mwah, hah, hah. Did you hide the stuff as I told ya?"

"YO, YO, YO! Yessir! Now the fan-girls have to guess which of them is the key to knowing Rock Man – sama's true colors!"

"THERE~! HAND THEM BACK!"

Omega, Blood Shadow and Sigma began to chase War Rock as he laughed: Subaru sighed in exasperation along with Solo, Gino and Tsukasa.

"What a day. I gotta halt Hyde and the punk and now War Rock goes crazy…! No more mercy: I'm so gonna shut him in the server and manage with a solo Denpa – Henkan ability!" He cursed.

"Yeah. I'd rather say that'd be the best possible course of action. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow at the agreed time." Solo fumed.

"FOUND YA! HAND THEM BACK!"

"Beg to me and I might hand them back! Let's go, Moonie~! The Terrible Duet! _Rocking a rolling rocking rolling_!"

20:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… GRJTX! What a useless chase! We had to shut Moon Disaster's mouth as well because that song was unbearable!"

"Truly, Sir Omega, sir!"

"Nobody messes with my sword!"

Omega, Blood Shadow and Sigma made it back to their base and were walking down a corridor: Sigma was checking his sword while Blood Shadow was examining the insides of his helmet (his hair was identical to Subaru's yet colored in a reddish color and his eyes' irises were a mix of red and golden instead) but Omega was examining a simplistic-looking gun: the three of them looked annoyed.

"At least we shut the jerk in the server!" Omega sighed in relief.

"Someone had to stop the guy before it escalated further!"

"What in the… A lipstick marker! Inside of my helmet!"

"Whoa! My sword's hilt has one too!"

"And my gun too!"

Tsukasa and Gino were pepping out from a nearby room and looked somewhat annoyed.

"At least I got the pencil case back."

"At least I got my right sneaker back."

"The Great Confucius would rather council to the Honorable Trinity of Courageous Warriors that effort made for a mere possession is nothing compared to the effort made to protect a life…" A man's voice rang out.

"Oh heck. Dragon Hell, the Confucius cook…" Sigma grumbled.

"Can only think of that… And he's gonna set a speech on us!"

"Oh how lovely!" Omega grumbled.

Everyone sighed in defeat: their evening had been way too crazy…

20:19 PM (Shanghai Time)…

"… Fua~h… Did ya hear the news, Ka? There was some ruckus this very morning… Looks like Hyde and the punk had come up with a plan to steal that "Noise Canceller" thing and turn it into a deadlier thing but that seems to have failed…"

"I heard, Ku. Whatever. We should come up with something bright or else Hyde and the punk are gonna get the whole of the glory!"

Two unidentified figures were strolling down a barely lit metallic hanger-like cavernous room somewhere and chatting in a whisper: their voices had a slight echo to them.

"We could always try to rebuild a Wizard…" The guy, Ku, suggested.

"Why not… If we could repair some of the servers, then…" Ka muttered.

"And sometimes I get the feeling that Kuroban guy fooled all of us and is having us do the dirty work for him while he hides in this same place and laughs at us…" Ku grumbled.

"No way… We've gone over that a thousand times and made sure the imagery can't be replaced by something else. Besides, they might try to turn invisible but nothing fools the IR and X – Ray sensors. Any interference would be picked up." Ka argued back.

"Chut! I hear something!"

"… Come on. That's the outside wind… And some echoes of the busy Shanghai city as well! Stop being so paranoid!"

"My bad, my bad… Let's go, Ka."

The two figures stepped away but they didn't spot Assassin Shinobi lurking in a corner and chuckling under his breath.

_Mwah, hah, hah! Have fun while you can… This is gonna change soon! _

He chuckled under his breath in a psychotic tone of voice…

**THE END**


End file.
